the user experience of airports

I usually fly a lot. I'm grateful that the summer is over, because it means that the tourists have left the airports. I get cranky in the airport, standing behind the tourist who doesn't know how to travel. But now that summer's over (and now that I haven't flown in a couple of weeks), I have enough distance from all of that annoyance to realise that it's not the fault of the tourist. Figuring out the rules about travel beforehand is somewhere between really difficult and absolutely impossible.

First of all, the travel experience now starts on the web instead of with a travel agent. This means that it's difficult to get advice about your travels if you don't know someone who travels frequently. If your dates are flexbile and you're shopping by price, it's hard to figure out which dates give you the best price -- it's just a matter of trial and error. If you really don't want a redeye, it's hard to exclude that option from your search. If you're travelling in a group, it's hard to get everyone seated together. If you're travelling to a major metropolitan area, it's hard to figure out which airport is which (San Francisco? Oakland? San José?) and which one best meets your needs. And you don't have a good way to answer these questions.

Then you have to pack. Most people don't know that there are questions that they should ask here. But there are. What can I take on board the plane? What is the right size for my carry-on? How much luggage am I allowed to check? What is the weight limit on luggage? Over the summer, I lost count of the number of people that I watched check some massive suitcase and have to pay extra. They always (unsuccessfully) argue with the gate agent that if they can have 2 bags at 50 pounds each, then they should be able to take one bag that weighs 75 pounds. And what are the rules about what can go into carry-ons?

Then it's time to go to the airport. How early am I supposed to get there? Where am I allowed to park? Can I get there via public transit (which turns out to be surprisingly difficult in many major American cities)? Which terminal is my airline in? Why are there domestic flights at the international terminal? Do flights to Canada count as domestic or international?

Next up is actually entering the airport. Can I curb-check my bags? Why is there a fee for doing so? How do I operate this miserable automated check-in machine? Why does the miserable automated check-in machine want me to enter stuff I don't remember (flight reservation number, frequent flier number, flight number) instead of stuff that I do know (like my last name or the city that I'm going to)? Why does the airline expect my 80-year-old grandmother (or some harried woman who's travelling with 3 kids) to use this miserable automated check-in machine? Why am I just learning now that I have to pay extra for my 55-pound bag? Why are the seats for my whole family spread out all over the plane, even though I know that I got seats all together when I booked the tickets?

The worst part about the user experience of the airport is, hands down, security. It's so bad that I have to wonder if it isn't planned that way. It's so bad, and feels so arbitrary, that there's a hysterical online game satirising the whole thing. Why do I have to take my shoes off? Why do I have to take my laptop out of its bag? Why did I just get pulled aside for an extra pat-down? Why do you expect my 80-year-old grandmother to take off her shoes? How was I supposed to know about the liquid rules in advance? Why can't I take more than a single one-quart plastic bag's worth of stuff on board? I just bought this coffee at the Starbucks that is less than 30 feet from security, why can't I take it past security? Why is it that the random TSA guy gets to decide whether my item is prohibited, and I can't do anything about it? I had one particular TSA guy take away my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Since when was PB&J a liquid?

All of this is difficult for the casual traveller to figure out. I know all of this stuff (well, most of it, I was caught by surprise when the TSA guy took away my PB&J) because I travel enough that it's all second nature to me.

This Sunday afternoon post brought to you by today's Opus comic strip. 'We have no record of your existence', indeed.

Comments

• Anonymous
  September 16, 2007
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• Anonymous
  September 16, 2007
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• Anonymous
  September 17, 2007
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• Anonymous
  September 21, 2007
  I fly out of KCI often, and it is the best airport I have found for this. O'Hare is the worst: security, delays, clogged lines, reshuffling of flights, etc. I will try anything to avoid that airport. I have been stranded there 18-24 hours two different times. This last time (month ago) it would have been longer, but at midnight there was one rental car left and I drove home - took 11 hours!