Waiting around in the airport is a lot like getting stuck in purgatory. Time comes to a standstill, nobody makes eye contact with you, your body aches for no reason, and even if it's 7AM, someone's at the bar drinking a beer. And when you're waiting at your gate in your terminal, nothing matters except getting on your plane and heading to your destination– anything to get you out of this grey, timeless dump.

If you've been around the airport block a few times, you know we've all had our fair share of airport drama. It could be your bag playing a game of "almost too heavy," a little extra TLC from TSA during security checks, or navigating those airports that need a freakin' tram to get from one end to the other. And let's not even start on the nightmare of flight delays – we've all been there. But the real wildcard at the airport is the mix of folks you'll encounter on any given day. I'm talking abo…

The full range of human decency (and lack thereof) is on display at the airport security line. When you are stuck in a seemingly endless and motionless security line, it's increasingly hard to remember that patience is a virtue. It's far easier to roll your eyes and complain that you have the worst luck of anyone you know, which of course is not true considering that hundreds of other people are stuck in the same exact line. In short, it's easy to forget that other people are dealing with the s…

Air travel creates opportunities for some interesting social interactions that you wouldn't find elsewhere in life. Part of that is people tend to be pretty stressed out, even long before they actually manage to get seated on the flight. What with waking up early to get to the airport with ample time with ample anxiety owing to the uncertainty of queue times that can range from mere minutes to hours depending on the day… Following, you have to get undressed for security, parting your belongings…

Even the most experienced traveler gets stressed out about a lot of things at the airport: boarding times, your luggage's weight, TSA scanners, and the classic worry of going to the wrong gate for your flight. These are all things that most people check (and re-check) diligently, that is, of course, unless you're a little too loosey-goosey at the luxury airport lounge.

Here's one travel tip that won't save you any time or money. How do we know? U/garaks_tailor tested it out, so you can learn from their mistakes. The OP's story takes place while they were traveling for work . Many places will offer their workers a per diem while traveling. That way, they can grab a bite to eat for each meal without spending a small fortune. However, not every company gives their employees a lot of money for the task. The OP's company only gave them a little bit of money, and a…

Throughout the course of the working week, you spend roughly 40 hours in the presence of your coworkers . This can be an incredible way to form tight bonds with other like-minded individuals. Throughout your adult life, it's more likely you'll make friends at work than from any other place, unsurprising given you're often spending more time with them than with your own family. But while you'll make some friends, it's more than likely that you'll be spending a lot of time with people who grind y…

Who deserves the aisle seat while flying? The answer is the person who paid for it… usually. However, this anxious flyer got asked to give up their seat for a different one, and they weren't happy about how the interaction played out. If you get anxious while flying, you're not alone. It's like an endurance test, with one stressful situation after another. First you have to book your trip, which is usually simple enough. But on the day of your flight, you have to get to the airport with several…

Airport security is full of arbitrary rules. Having to pay ridiculous fees in order to make your luggage ever so slightly lighter is just one of many. Let's not forget that there is also all the TSA nonsense, and sometimes, the rules are wildly different depending on the airport. Sometimes you have to put all your bags in one cart, sometimes you have to separate everything, and sometimes they're so backed up that no one has to take their shoes off (which makes you question the effectiveness of…

You might have heard from a wise person once that the golden rule of life is: “Don't be a jerk." Well, we agree with that person and is applies to many other life experiences. For example, flying. When you are going on a trip and have to fly, going to the airport can be stressful for everyone involved. You don't know the situation of each passenger or employee. So, it's best to approach it with kindness and patience, or else everybody, including yourself, is going to have a bad time. A perfect…

If you comply with company rules, then you're all set and good to go, right? Well, not always. Sometimes your circumstances change, and what I mean by that is there can be a metamorphosis, a transformation, from old, to new, to ugly. In even simpler terms, new authority sucks. One person got a set of instructions, hot off the press, that didn't resemble the instructions they were used to in the past, and those instructions led to a whole lot of cash being extracted from company expenses. u/Impo…

When you're stuck on your flight waiting to take off, it's the perfect time to eavesdrop on the other passengers.

It would take a lot for you to block your boss's phone number , but this woman had to do exactly that. Her boss just wouldn't leave her be as he tried his hardest to interrupt her vacation time . U/Pinkyrye shared her story to r/AmItheA**hole, and she provided several updates on her situation as well. Despite working at her security guard job for six years, her boss still gave her a hard time about taking five days of vacation time. Some places really are stingy with time off, paid or unpaid. I…

There are two kinds of social rules: rules in the regular world and rules at the airport.

Being rude to people in customer service is only going to make your life more difficult, and it's really not a good idea to tempt someone who has the federal-granted authority to give everything you own—including your own person—a very thorough search. Further, if you're being overly aggressive and disruptive, you may be detained or banned from flying ever again altogether—which would be mightily more inconvenient than waiting for a disgruntled agent to rifle through your bag. But—hey—flying ca…

Here's a travel tip for everyone out there: don't upset the airport security staff!