Into the sunset

Subtitled: You can fly can you?

I've noticed a trait among the human race when they arrive at airport check-ins. I call it Asshole Syndrome or AS for short. Many people suffer from this dreaded disease that only shows up during check-in or on the way to check-in and almost exclusively at airports.

I believe that it started with commercial airliners. There was a certain prestige associated with being able to afford to travel by air which incited an air of importance among those travellers. This feeling of importance lingers on today in all air passengers and they feel insulted if they, the very people who have paid for these tickets, are made to wait 5 minutes in line to check-in. A person who is pleasant enough on the street or in any other social milieu suddenly becomes an A-hole during check-in.

There's a second reason that compounds AS. A lot of these people are afraid of flying and channel that fear into arrogant behavior. (If only I'd taken a psych credit at university - I'd have so much more credibility with my theories.)

I am reminded of an email joke that I saw years ago but I have no doubt that it is still circling the net and will be through to the end of time:
At a busy check-in a man pushes to the front of the line and demands to be checked-in. He is told to go and stand in line like everyone else.
"Do you know who I am?" He demands.
The check-in assistant picks up the PA microphone and announces, "this man does not know who he is, can anyone help?"