A Close Encounter with Kiasu Travellers

Ever encountered weird travellers with crazy behaviour at the airport? I had - in fact, loads of shitty encounters to share with you.

Not too long ago, I was at KLIA - LCCT waiting to board an Air Asia flight (Malaysia version no-frill airline) to Bangkok with Kay. We got to the boarding gate rather early (about 45 minutes before departure time) and I was sitting there reading my book.

Then, all of a sudden, a family of 5 or 6 people walked into the boarding gate area. There were like 3 or 4 children, accompanied by 2 ladies (must have been their mum). The ladies must be housewives – as evident and/or suggest by their choice of fashion – worn-out t-shirt and short-pants, slippers as footwear choice and a plastic bags as their hand luggage.

What caught my attention wasn’t their fashion as I couldn’t give a two-hoot about what they wear – so long as they are wearing something – that would be a great favour to society. Anyway, when the family walked into the boarding gate area, they walk straight up to the gate. And I thought, what are these people doing? The airline hasn’t called for boarding yet but the family of travellers seems to put up an energetic show of enthusiasms by standing in front of the boarding gate.

After about 30 minutes of ‘excitement’ – standing in front of the boarding gate, the airline finally called for boarding and passengers began to get into the line. The family (despite being ahead of the game) decided to make sure that they are absolutely the first group to board the plane. They sort of hoard the frontline and began to make ‘small’ advancing movement. If it weren’t for the officer standing in front of the gate, I am sure the family would have pushed their face against the glass door and might have force the door open.

The minute when they were ‘release’ from the boarding gate, they began to run. I was dumbfounded! What the fuck? - sorry for the profanity but I think they deserve no less than what I am going to say.

Hellooo…WWII is over. You don’t have to run to the plane as if you are a refugee! You are already in front of the line. No one is going to take your precious seat of yours. No wonder Kay’s dad told us that travelling on Air Asia is like travelling like a refugee.

I am just not sure why can’t these people be more mature when it comes to simple things like getting on a plane. OK, maybe they want to sit together and since Air Asia is operating on a free-sitting basis, it would make sense to be ahead of the line. But to run even when you are ahead, that is just plain ‘Kiasu’.

I am not sure where they eventually sit on the plane, but after all the standing and running, I hope they get what they want! In fact, I think they should fart at their ‘prize’ seat to mark their fucking territory for all the effort they have put in.