An Open Letter to the Rude Guy Traveling Through JFK Last Weekend

To the rude guy on my Delta connection flight out of JFK last weekend:

You may have remembered to pack your underwear, your emergency pair of contacts and your mini toothpaste tube, but you forgot to pack possibly the most important thing for flying: Your patience.

My boyfriend and I were traveling this Fourth of July weekend, a weekend which turned out to be the busiest travel day since the start of the pandemic and even of 2019, according to the TSA. We flew out of Boston on Friday with a final destination of Buffalo... and a layover at JFK in between.

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We had the pleasure of sitting behind you on our second flight that afternoon. Everything was fine and dandy during boarding, but when things started to go a little off-track, let's be honest, you didn't handle it well. First, the weight of the plane was off from the airline's estimates. Then, we missed our window for our flight pattern, which was limited due to inclement weather. Then there was a backup on the tarmac and we missed another chance to catch another flight pattern before it closed. It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances, but none of it was anyone's fault, per se. You, however, saw it differently.

Time and time again, after every unfortunate update, you cursed out the pilot, you cursed out the flight attendants, taking every opportunity to complain about things they weren't at fault for, and frankly, had no control over.

One of our flight attendants was quick to use her sarcasm and put you in your place, but let me add in my two cents real quick.

We eventually got up in the air, and you didn't have much to say during the rest of the flight, but the earlier disrespect during the delays certainly put a damper on the rest of the afternoon. It's SO important to pack your patience when heading on a trip, to be nice to your flight staff and fellow passengers, and to take deep breaths whenever necessary. There's seriously no reason to curse out the flight staff for just doing their job and keeping passengers safe from one location to the next.

So next time around, keep in mind that bumps in the road may happen, especially when you're traveling on a major holiday weekend at one of the country's largest airports. Just remember to take some deep breaths and remind yourself that a few delays aren't the end of the world, especially when it comes to safety.

Kindly,
Your fellow passenger