Backpacker's In Action.....Lament...

[pgrahmm]

We have a flight booked with Air Asia that the wife spotted at a good price....Tried to do an online check in & change one seat - had us separated across the aisle....To do it online = 70B + 962B CC fee + the international transaction fee from my bank = ain't gonna happen......No other payment options so off I trot to CNX armed with screen shots of the seating chart & the necessary flight info - booking number.....

 

I get to the ticket windows, Nok - Thai Lion only have a couple of people......Air Asia = 5 deep & 2 lines....

 

A gal in the left AA line was connected to a guy at the Nok counter next store - their using one phone jumping back & forth over a bunch of mountainous backpacks trying both to use barcoded coupons to compare flight prices airline to airline tying up both the AA & Nok counters with each leaving the lines to hand off the phone while leaving sunglasses on the counter to preserve their spot......The guy at the Nok counter is getting heated & animated taking up both of the Nok agents all talking a bluestreak....Meanwhile his girlfriend's first CC won't go through - she's buying AA while he's buying Nok.....

 

2 backpackers in front of me - 1 pays for his ticket, smooth.....His buddy at the counter with him has nothing together - goes to pay for the ticket - no money, tries a card - no go, all in slow motion....

 

A Thai guy behind me keeps going from one AA line to the other AA line - to the Nok lines - which are bogged down by all these backpackers in their well travelled clothes....Finally the guy in the front my line either finds a card that work or hang dogged faced his pal into using his.....He's got his ticket & starts to bolt....I yell & stop him to hand him his book he'd left laying on the counter - just in time to turn around & help pick up a standing Air Asia sign that the arguing guy at the Nok counter had knocked over and completely ignored.....

 

Meanwhile the patient little well mannered Thai gal in front of me had only a question to ask - hot damn,  it's my turn!

 

Done in under 2 minutes, 70B....

 

I go to leave - the left line is still inert from the gal.....There's a queue now at the Nok window as the guy has the only 2 agents aguing through the center window with 3 cards on the counter as he's saying no no no you don't understand that's impossible - there's 8000 euros on that one.....

 

I walk towards the door leaving the line when a 30 something gal backpacker walks right through me just missing while giving off a huge belch - of course not concealing anything or trying to cover her mouth.....

 

I walked away thinking - well that pretty much sums these people up.....

 

What an ill mannered, self centered, scruffy bunch of human beings.....

 

Glad I'm hardly ever around them.....

 

Never did see where the Thai guy with the wheelie luggage ended up.....Hope he made his timeline....

 

 

 

[sipi]

Oh, to be young and naive all over again. Those were the days.

(Oops, but I still retained my manners)

 

[JJGreen]

sums up which people?

[JJGreen]

Oh, to be young and naive all over again. Those were the days.

(Oops, but I still retained my manners)

 

You can retain the naivete till any age

[sipi]

I can remember as a backpacker in the early 80's when it was genuinely difficult to remain clean in rural Thailand. Transportation was hot and long, and places with running water to have a shower/ bath were few and far between.

With the advent of air travel and a place to clean up at least once a day, there is no excuse for dirtiness.

It used to be "cool" once, the "adventurer".. Not any more.

There is no excuse for bad manners.

 

[sipi]

4 minutes ago, JJGreen said:

You can retain the naivete till any age

If you are a slow learner, or don't have internet access.

[JJGreen]

I can remember as a backpacker in the early 80's when it was genuinely difficult to remain clean in rural Thailand. Transportation was hot and long, and places with running water to have a shower/ bath were few and far between.

With the advent of air travel and a place to clean up at least once a day, there is no excuse for dirtiness.

It used to be "cool" once, the "adventurer".. Not any more.

There is no excuse for bad manners.

 

Bad manners for who though? Some backpackers are looking for the best deal they can get...should the airlines not have more staff? Should the backpackers pay more money because a grumpy farang is in a hurry?
Who decides on a correct state of cleanliness?

[rijit]

Use cheap airlines,,,, you get ?????
learnt my lesson bac in the day with people using aero floc , they saved ?? £, watched the crap they went through and overall the savings are nominal and not enuf imo to put up with the shit service and the <deleted> that go with it.

[MissAndry]

I buy my tickets online, far quicker and easier than at the desk.

Check-in and book seats online too. First time I encounter the airline staff is at the boarding gate.

[sipi]

25 minutes ago, JJGreen said:

 

Bad manners for who though? Some obackpackers are looking for the best deal they can get...should the airlines not have more staff? Should the backpackers pay more money because a grumpy farang is in a hurry?
Who decides on a correct state of cleanliness?

 

My sincere personal apologies. In my day burping your guts up in someones face was called bad manners.

No doubt it is now refered to as personal creative expression. 

[pgrahmm]

59 minutes ago, JJGreen said:

 

Bad manners for who though? Some backpackers are looking for the best deal they can get...should the airlines not have more staff? Should the backpackers pay more money because a grumpy farang is in a hurry?
Who decides on a correct state of cleanliness?

 

 

Who's grumpy?

 

Who's in a hurry?

 

Just observing the people I stumbled upon.....

[JJGreen]

 

Who's grumpy?

 

Who's in a hurry?

 

Just observing the people I stumbled upon.....

U come across as both in your observation

[JJGreen]

My sincere personal apologies. In my day burping your guts up in someones face was called bad manners.

No doubt it is now refered to as personal creative expression. 

That wasn't what I meant which is why I didn't mention it.
I'd rate burping in my face unpleasant for me... maybe for her group it is common behavior in her peer group

[pgrahmm]

1 hour ago, MissAndry said:

I buy my tickets online, far quicker and easier than at the desk.

Check-in and book seats online too. First time I encounter the airline staff is at the boarding gate.

 

As do I....

Unfortunately the seating wasn't good & it took a trip to the airport to sort it out.....

[pgrahmm]

1 hour ago, rijit said:

Use cheap airlines,,,, you get ?????
learnt my lesson bac in the day with people using aero floc , they saved ?? £, watched the crap they went through and overall the savings are nominal and not enuf imo to put up with the shit service and the <deleted> that go with it.

 

Yes, we usually fly BKK Airways in country.....

 

SIDE NOTE.....

 

Although interestingly we just flew with Air France - the plane was wall to wall Chinese.....AF had it pretty well worked out = all stewards handled the flight & kept a firm hand during the flight.....Anything that was beyond their limits was handled promptly & sternly....

Good forward planning on that flight....

[Enoon]

I believe that Rule no 1 in the "Real Backpackers Club" is:

Aircraft not allowed.

(Permissible in emergency, but only if it is single-engine piston)

Edited August 8, 2016 by Enoon

[anotheruser]

33 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

 

As do I....

Unfortunately the seating wasn't good & it took a trip to the airport to sort it out.....

 

You could have paid the lousy $6 or whatever and saved yourself time and us this story. You are as frugal as a backacker.

[pgrahmm]

29 minutes ago, anotheruser said:

 

You could have paid the lousy $6 or whatever and saved yourself time and us this story. You are as frugal as a backacker.

 

Nope - the CC fee was 962B/$27.50 for a 70B charge + whatever the international transaction fee was from my bank.....

 

Really not too hard to figure out so I thought I'd help you....

 

Thanks for the brilliant post......

 

What's a backacker nowadays?

Edited August 8, 2016 by pgrahmm

[anotheruser]

Still cheap enough to avoid going down there. interesting story Bro...

[pgrahmm]

1 hour ago, JJGreen said:

U come across as both in your observation

 

Nope - just a straight forward observation......They obviously had some trouble paying for their fares ......

 

But, in truth my 9 & 15 y/o children have much better manners & deportment than this - but they are half Thai......

 

Hopefully that doesn't change....

Good manners are always appreciated.... 

 

[gregk0543]

Great Story and highlights the problems with todays backpackers.

 

1. Too many credit cards.   They should carry cash like we did.

2. Too many airlines.   There was only one or two to any place and they werent cheap.

3. Too easy. 

 

We werent even called backpackers in my day. When did that usage start?

 

 

 

 

[harrry]

Problem  probably was this superinteligent computer software the banks use that could not comprehend why someone would want to actually take a flight on Air Asia or NOK

Edited August 8, 2016 by harrry

[Rob8891]

Airports, and their itinerant, especially in tourist destinations can be a real PITA sometimes. Hopefully all is now going smoothly and you'll soon be far from the madding crowd.

[leggo]

That was certainly one of the most interesting posts I have ever read on Thavisa!!!!

[pgrahmm]

29 minutes ago, anotheruser said:

Still cheap enough to avoid going down there. interesting story Bro...

 

Only a 10-15 minute drive after the first every morning errand - after that had another one about 4k from there....

 

I actually like the vibe at airports & used to be able to fly for free through United so saw a lot of them.....

[anotheruser]

Glad you enjoyed your time with the backpackers because it didn't seem like it from your story.

[ClutchClark]

33 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

 

But, in truth my 9 & 15 y/o children have much better manners & deportment than this - but they are half Thai......

 

Hopefully that doesn't change....

 

 

I am pretty certain they will remain half Thai all their lives.

 

But I am still learning about this Culture.

[JJGreen]

What nationality were these backpackers? Brits?

[Sirbergan]

So you have so much time on your hands that you will go out of your way to save approx. 1k baht (then go online to post about this horrendous experience, which will no doubt haunt you for the rest of your life), but once you get there you have no patience at all?

 

Your post seems to sum up grumpy old men who forgot how it was to be young.

 

[ClutchClark]

10 minutes ago, Sirbergan said:

So you have so much time on your hands that you will go out of your way to save approx. 1k baht (then go online to post about this horrendous experience, which will no doubt haunt you for the rest of your life), but once you get there you have no patience at all?

 

Your post seems to sum up grumpy old men who forgot how it was to be young.

 

 

 

Old men don't ever forget how it was to be young.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2016 by ClutchClark