When I was younger, I loved airports. Every aspect was exciting: running through the halls, peeking into shops, flying through clouds. An airport trip meant traveling somewhere new. Now, I hate airports. I dread the experience, and I leave feeling drained and dirty. Airports push me to the edge, dampening my excitement for traveling.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to explore. I love new places, but I hate the process of getting to them. I know the saying, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” but when my journey requires the airport, I’m only looking forward to the end point.
I’m not here to invalidate the opinion of anyone who loves airports. The concept is wonderful. They are full of new people, good food and fun stores. Each airport has a distinct smell: a mix between Home Depot and a laundry room. As an idea, the airport is a hub for like-minded, travel lovers. In reality, it is a crowded cesspool of tired strangers who act like they’ve never traveled before.
On Nov. 14, I traveled to Los Angeles to visit a friend, so the airport’s harsh realities are fresh on my mind. With the government shutdown wrapping up, U.S. airports are still undergoing the setbacks of less funding and worker shortages, making travel a bigger nightmare than normal. Due to flight cancelations, long delays and crowded terminals, there is so much unknown about air travel.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) line is the first stop of the dreaded airport experience. I’m juggling my boarding pass, identification and luggage, all while avoiding ridicule from the overworked TSA agents that deal with confused travelers throughout their whole shift. I take off my shoes, ensure my water bottle is empty, remove my laptop and organize everything into two bins. This process is often delayed by an angry TSA agent or a hold-up from someone else in line. The walk through the full-body scanner is the quickest part. Then, I have to wait for my bags, hoping they don’t get flagged down. Once they make it through, it’s a race to get everything back in order: shoes, phone, wallet, laptop and bags.
Going to Los Angeles, the already tedious process felt even worse. My flight departed from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston and landed in the Los Angeles International Airport. Typically, IAH has five open terminals, but with the government shutdown, only two terminals were running. With less workers, the TSA lines have been taking anywhere from two to five hours, when normally, they last no longer than an hour.
The next process in the airport journey is, in my case, using the restroom. The dreaded airport restroom: crowded, grimey and smelly, leaving me feeling dirtier than when I entered. There’s typically a line, and when it’s finally my turn, I have to wrestle myself and my luggage into the single stall. There’s often an unknown puddle on the seat or beneath the toilet, the stall walls are smudged, and the floor is curiously sticky. I leave the restroom with the feeling of grime shadowing me.
Next on the agenda is finding my gate while avoiding the prosperous fast-food chains along the way. When traveling, I resist buying food due to its cost. I am not going to buy a sandwich for $18 from an airport deli, when they are no more than $10 outside. I understand the airport is inflating prices to increase their own profit, but I do not support this tiresome, capitalist overconsumption.
But the worst part of the airport is waiting. Once I reach my gate, all that’s left to do is wait: wait to begin boarding, wait to get on the plane, wait to find my seat, wait to take off, wait to land, wait to exit the plane — and finally — wait to leave the airport.
That is the main reason I hate airports. As a kid, my time in the airport was spent with imagination and excitement. I didn’t worry about the stress or technicalities of travel, because my parents did that for me. Now, when I’m not actively getting myself from point A to point B, I wait.
My trip to Los Angeles went smoothly, which wasn’t certain with the government shutdown on the mend. The ease of my journey gives me hope that airports are improving as the government gets up and running again. Based on my little knowledge, I estimate air travel will be smoother by the time campus closes for winter break. Despite my high hopes, this does not change the disgust and anguish I feel when I enter an airport. It is one of my least favorite places on Earth, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.
