The Last Minuters and Other Exceptionals

Traveling by plane and going to a show (concert, film, or whatever) have some strong similarities.

-You're supposed to show up at a certain time.
- You go through some sort of production where you're searched or a piece of paper is scanned, ripped, marked, etc.
- You either have an assigned seat or there's a mad rush to find a good one.
- You sit or stand for an extended length of time, pretty much staring forward the whole time.

And so on.

Both types of experience are often ruined by a certain group of people. I'm not referring to the staff (though there are plenty of horror stories about them), nor the majority of the other patrons. I'm talking about the handful of exceptional people. And not "exceptional" in a good way.

These are the folks who show up at the last second and have to be rushed through the lineup so that they don't miss their flight.
Or the couple of guys who decide to start jumping up and down and whistling during a concert (while everybody else is still seated).
Or the family that wanders into a general admission show five minutes before the curtain rises and shove their way into the empty area in front of the front row, only to get upset when people try explaining that they can't sit there.
Or the person who thinks that it's perfectly acceptable to have "carry on" luggage that's so big and heavy that they can't actually CARRY it ON without a great deal of struggle and assistance. (Rule of thumb: if you need little wheels on your carry on, it's probably too big).

I won't even try to understand what goes on in their tiny little brains. Maybe they're selfish, maybe they're just oblivious, or maybe they're complete idiots.

Regardless, the actions of the Exceptionals hurt the experience of everyone else. And therefore harm the brand. Brands need to recognize this and push back (nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see a security guard, gate attendant, or other employee explain the rules to someone and send them away).

(Can you tel that I've been traveling a lot lately?)