A lady scolded me at the airport.
I agreed with her. But… wait, let me tell you.
OTOPENI AIRPORT
I’ve been to many corners of this world and have departed/arrived at airports ranging from very small and simple ones to real… cities, where every facility is cleverly designed for the convenience of passengers.
At Otopeni, whenever I depart, I get frustrated every time I reach the “trays”, as I call them. Meaning, the security check area, where customs officers scan your hand luggage and scan you as well.
Almost all travelers rush to grab trays from somewhere on the floor, between the belts, and hold them in their arms until they reach the belt, where they line up their “loot” and start putting all their belongings on it.
For a few trips now, I’ve decided not to grab any tray anymore. That’s it, I’m on strike!… What’s the worst that could happen? When I reach the officer, I’ll shrug, he’ll point to where I should get my trays (one for the laptop, one for my jacket, and one for the bag), and only then will I put my clothes and equipment on them. After all, it’s not the end of the world.
For the New Year’s Eve departure, I did the same, especially since there were sooo many people crammed in the tray area. I stood calmly, even though everyone in front and behind me already had trays in their arms. As soon as a new “batch” of trays appeared, the newcomers would rush to grab a handful. Only I, like a flower, stood there without a tray…
And I slowly, slowly move forward and finally reach the belt. Another batch of trays arrives. Since no one else wants them anymore, I go to grab two for myself.
“Wait, ma’am, why are you rushing like that??” a woman near the officer addresses me. “Have patience, let us take ours first”, she says, referring to herself and her friend.
I had no idea they didn’t have trays, being so close to the scanning area. I also had no idea that, look, someone else thought like me and chose not to carry trays in their arms the whole way. I felt like a proper pig (to stay in the holiday spirit…).
I tried to justify myself, showing that everyone already had their trays and that I, like a fool, had reached the belt empty-handed. But it didn’t matter: the woman criticized everyone’s behavior – mine included, as I had proven to be a sheep in the flock.
I couldn’t help but agree with her.
But, although I often criticize Romanians for not standing on the right side of the escalator, for sticking right next to the baggage carousel upon arrival – even with their trolley, as if they wouldn’t spot their suitcase gently sliding along even from two meters away – or for talking on speaker in the plane, this time I actually blame the SYSTEM!
Sure, we might not have the money to do it like in other places (London, for example, or Amsterdam, if I recall correctly, and many other locations), where you stand in an orderly manner, trays come underneath the belt right in front of you, and you calmly take as many as you need, simply giving them a push to send them toward the scanner.
But look, in Paris, they don’t have such a system either. And yet, the pile of trays is placed exactly where the belt starts. You reach the belt, you grab a tray. You don’t have to run around frantically beforehand or stand there clutching trays in your arms! And you don’t end up arguing with people.
How hard can it be to prevent us from taking trays prematurely?!? It would avoid many similar or even more embarrassing situations: a few trips ago, as we all stood patiently, each holding trays in our arms :), waiting to reach the belt, a man boldly cut in front of all of us without any shame. Some of us pointed out where the end of the line was, and guess what he told us?!
“I already have my clothes in the tray, you’re not ready”. And he went ahead…
