A post doing the rounds recently showed a water dispenser in a departure lounge. Nothing remarkable about it. However, the comments went into meltdown because a few bottle tops could be seen touching the dispenser lever.
See here: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FdxVoGQte/
Honestly, I despair. When I was a youngster we drank straight from water fountains in parks without a second thought. Public drinking fountains are still commonplace today in parks, stations and even airports. Plenty of people use them every day. Somehow we all survived then and we’re still here today.
Business class tells the same story. It wasn’t long ago that a premium cabin meant a big recliner and some extra legroom. Some cabins were even laid out 2-3-2. If you were in the window seat you climbed over your neighbour to get to the loo. Stuck in the middle of the three, you had someone to clamber past whichever way you went. Nobody wrote a complaint about it. We were grateful to be up front at all.
Today a seat without direct aisle access gets slated in reviews. If there isn’t a high wall and a sliding door, some travellers carry on as if they’ve been robbed. These are people getting a flat bed, a proper meal and a glass of champagne, yet they still find something to be outraged about because they can see somebody or be seen.
Lounges are going the same way. Malaysia Airlines, like many airlines, used to announce boarding calls in its lounges. Nobody thought twice about it. Most of us simply relaxed until our flight was called before strolling down to the gate.
Yet a recent survey in this very group found that 70% of members would rather have a quiet lounge. The odd announcement and a bit of chatter at the next table are apparently too much to cope with. So now we’re up and down like a yo-yo, squinting at a flight information screen on the far side of the room. It’s an airport, not a library.
Hygiene matters, of course. Privacy is nice too. But somewhere along the way common sense got lost and a sense of entitlement took its place. Every minor inconvenience is now a scandal waiting for a comments section.
We used to be a hardier bunch. I’m not sure when that changed, but I’m fairly sure social media hasn’t helped.
So tell me. Am I just showing my age, or have travellers become far too precious? Let me know in the comments.
