What do you do while waiting for your flight

[australiankaren]

So, I have been reading flyer talk, and they are talking about gate lice etc...people who stand at the gate 45 mins before boarding etc, and it got me wondering......what do you do while waiting for your flight???
Do you pay for a lounge, hang out in the book store, drink a bladder full of starbucks, or try for some sleep in a quiet corner...

tell me your secrets.....tell me

us, when we are leaving sydney we get a coffee with my dad, then go thru customs and get breakfast..normally full cooked breakfast and the paper.

in the usa, we have delta club access, so we hang out there, drinking, surfing and eating our body weight in carrot sticks and biscuits..although they do have a good-ish breakfast...bagels and cream cheese.....

now you!

 

[aussietravellers]

We always go to the lounge and usually don't get to the gate until the flights boarding.

If it's a lounge-less airport, we will linger in the shops, go to a coffee shop.

In say Singapore, we have been known to get a hotel room at the hotel they have there. Singapore airport seem to get you into the gate area so early and it's packed, so we wait for as late as possible (without missing the flight), to go to the gate.

 

[aussietravellers]

Where's the poll?

 

[australiankaren]

 

[aussietravellers]

I'd offer you some chocolate to give you the energy to do a poll, however somebody... who shall remain nameless (pictured below ) ATE IT!

 

[alicia1506]

I'd offer you some chocolate to give you the energy to do a poll, however somebody... who shall remain nameless (pictured below ) ATE IT!

gorgeous puppy!! (all dogs are puppies to me )

we usually get to the airport well in advance then sit and read in a lounge area or grab breakfast/dinner etc, browse the stores or just sit & chat with each other.

i like to get to the gate around 20 mins before boarding, but anything under that time makes me antsy that they might have changed gates & we might not make it to the new one in time

guess i might be 'gate lice' then...

 

[aussietravellers]

gorgeous puppy!! (all dogs are puppies to me )

he think's he still a puppy

we usually get to the airport well in advance then sit and read in a lounge area or grab breakfast/dinner etc, browse the stores or just sit & chat with each other.

i like to get to the gate around 20 mins before boarding, but anything under that time makes me antsy that they might have changed gates & we might not make it to the new one in time

guess i might be 'gate lice' then...

"gate lice" cracks me up This is the first I have heard of that term. But i love it! And I am sure you are not "gate lice" Thanks Karen for a funny new term, that will become a staple in my vocabulary!

 

[becpee]

We usually sit and grab a bite to eat and a celebratory bourbon, yep doesn't matter what time it is
We'll check out the bookshops and the duty free then usually 30 mins before boarding we'll head to the gate and be "gate lice"

 

[australiankaren]

He would stand at the gate entrance 2 hrs before the flight if I let him....he's always scared he'll miss the flight, or that someone will take his seat. I threaten to take his photo and post it on flyer talk on the wall of shame..

DYKWIA is also a term to use...don't you know who I am.
Gate lice...those who stand at the gateway and won't move for anyone even though they may be in group 6 to board
Lounge dragons..the ladies on the front desk at the airline lounges.

Here to help

 

[Melbourne5]

In my best DYKWIA way oF avoiding gate lice and maneuvering past the lounge dragons........if flying out of syd or Mel ransack the Qantas first lounge with the melb 5!

They have a table service restaraunt that's free and delicious, a day spa you can get treatments in & they normally have some rooms they use for the kids full of tv's , Xbox and dvd's .

And they serve 3 types of bubbles ( Moët, bollinger & mumm)

Makes the fare difference and all those hours away from home accumulating a platinum ff status worthwhile oh and helps the time float by

 

[australiankaren]

In my best DYKWIA way oF avoiding gate lice and maneuvering past the lounge dragons........if flying out of syd or Mel ransack the Qantas first lounge with the melb 5!

They have a table service restaraunt that's free and delicious, a day spa you can get treatments in & they normally have some rooms they use for the kids full of tv's , Xbox and dvd's .

And they serve 3 types of bubbles ( Moët, bollinger & mumm)

Makes the fare difference and all those hours away from home accumulating a platinum ff status worthwhile oh and helps the time float by

oh to be guested in to the qantas club..I can only dream.....a little bit of heaven on earth

they say its nearly as nice as the virgin one

post pics......I need to see what I am missing

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I'm total Gate Lice. If you've missed a plane then this becomes your "forever state".

Once when I was 21 I was visiting a friend in Derby WA for a month and there was only 1 flight out per day and my friend got me to the airport late and I watched my plane taxi down the runway.

After that experience, you always arrive at the gate early

 

[australiankaren]

I also have a fear of missing a flight..but never lived that joy (finger crossed)....but DH needs to see/ hear/ know everything that is going on so feels that place is smack bang in the middle of the gate area even 45 mins before hand....so I stand/ sit off to the side until he keeps calling me / pssst me to move over..seriously, next time I'll pretend I have no idea who he is

 

[Melbourne5]

oh to be guested in to the qantas club..I can only dream.....a little bit of heaven on earth

they say its nearly as nice as the virgin one

post pics......I need to see what I am missing

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/air...irst-lounge/global/en?loungeCategory=qcLounge

Try this for a peek!

 

[Melbourne5]

oh to be guested in to the qantas club..I can only dream.....a little bit of heaven on earth

they say its nearly as nice as the virgin one

post pics......I need to see what I am missing

Better pics

http://www.ausbt.com.au/review-qantas-international-first-class-platinum-lounge-sydney-airport

 

[Toy Story]

We do a mix of all of the above - lounges. shopping and getting to the gate early - especially if we have had a few hours to hang out at the airport.

We spent about 7 hours in the Delta lounge at LAX on our recent flight back - our original plan had been to go somewhere, but we were so tiered we all just took in turns to sleep. Every time someone moved from a more comfortable spot, or closer to the power adaptor we would swap chairs. We found the shopping options at LAX to be dismal.

 

[Andona]

We usually grab a meal or a snack and then da boys settle down with their laptops while I trawl through the shops for a bit.

We usually get to the gate about 30 to 40 minutes before the flight, hoping to find a seat!

Andona

 

[mindy32]

I guess I'm gate lice! I'm always paranoid I'll miss a flight (and I did miss a domestic one once, got their 3 minutes after checkin closed!), so I like to be early. Not too early to the gate though I guess, I can't remember back to last time but I'd probably get there 30 mins early.

 

[Aust]

We are always the people at the airport 3 1/2 hours ahead of time..we get something to eat, look at the shops, and this time I will be doing my very best to tire out our 3 year old in the playground.

I hated the wait at LAX last time (Tom Bradley terminal) - after the hugely slow security line I was planning on doing the usual eating/shopping - I'd forgotten there are hardly any restaurants or shops after security, which is really boring and inconvenient. Spent 2 hours with a sandwich and a book at the gate after buying some last minute Clinique at the tiny duty free. Will remember to not go theough security quite so early this time.

 

[australiankaren]

We are always the people at the airport 3 1/2 hours ahead of time..we get something to eat, look at the shops, and this time I will be doing my very best to tire out our 3 year old in the playground.

I hated the wait at LAX last time (Tom Bradley terminal) - after the hugely slow security line I was planning on doing the usual eating/shopping - I'd forgotten there are hardly any restaurants or shops after security, which is really boring and inconvenient. Spent 2 hours with a sandwich and a book at the gate after buying some last minute Clinique at the tiny duty free. Will remember to not go theough security quite so early this time.

I think they have done up tom Bradley, so maybe its a tad better now??? It was such a dive. I cant understand why they put in 20 chairs for a plane load of 300 people.....soon it will be BYO fold up chair/ sun lounge/ picnic blanket.....

picture it...the terminal looking like this..minus the bridge

esky's, thongs and indoor bbqs......now thats a terminal I'd want to hang out in