Airline workers' secret name for people who get in the queue early to board the plane
Apparently airline workers really don't like it if you turn up to queue at the gate too early, and some of them even have a 'nasty' nickname for these travellers.
So, you've checked in your bags, gone through security, and now have a couple of hours to kill until takeoff.
Some passengers who are very eager to get going will queue up at their gate even before they're called.
And though they think they're just being prepared, this can cause congestion on airport walkways, and confusion at the gates as to which groups are currently boarding, slowing things down for everyone.
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And now this might embarrass you if you’re one of them, but according to the Washington Post, airline employees have a very rude name for people who queue at the gate too early.
Apparently, the employees’ naughty nickname for the people choosing to unnecessarily stand in a queue before they even need to is: gate lice. Yep, harsh.
"Gate lice is a really nasty way of referring to people that cluster near boarding areas that can clog up the boarding lanes," frequent traveller and travel blogger at The Points Guy told Nexstar.
Urban Dictionary gives a pretty solid definition of 'gate lice': “Passengers, often inexperienced flyers in Kettle [economy] Class, who crowd around or line up at a gate at an airport completely blocking the boarding area and preventing First and Business Class passengers from being able to get on the plane when they're allowed to.
“They can also cause delays and confusion if a passenger in a wheelchair needs to board as the chair has to plow through the mass of gate lice hovering around the gate.
“When it's time to board, they have to be shooed from the front boarding area to the back of the line, delaying the flight for everyone.”
Let’s be honest, we all know at least one gate louse.
And a psychologist reckons it’s all about them feeling in control.
“Queueing for boarding as soon as we are able to can help us to feel in control, which in turn makes us feel less stressed," Dr Audrey Tang told Metro.co.uk.
"This is more likely to be true for people who have experience of being late. Knowing you have faff time, especially with luggage or children, can also play a part.
“Maybe some people just like to be first, but it’s largely to do with keeping ourselves calm.”
Ok, so maybe it is a little understandable why people will get in the queue early but come on, nobody wants to be with the ‘gate lice’.
Jess Battison