European tourists, tired of air chaos, are looking for ways to bypass the wild queues at airports and check-in counters and baggage claims, and are ready for any means, including not too legal ones. So, The Guardian, in the words of the head of the London Heathrow airport, John Holland-Kay, reminded cunning tourists that pretending that they allegedly need wheelchairs – and all to get to the airport without a queue – is not humanly good.
“Some passengers have used the airport’s wheelchair support to try to get through the airport quickly. We see that the demand from passengers who need a wheelchair is greater than before the pandemic. Why is this happening? This is partly because people use wheelchair support to try to speed up their journey through the airport. This is wrong,” said the head of the airport.
By the way, this is a working method that is suitable for almost all airports: it is enough to order a wheelchair in advance through the airline or better directly at the airport – a representative of the airport service will take such a tourist on it outside the queue. And this service is free.
At the same time, Holland-Kay added that this life hack is already spreading in social networks in Britain. “On TikTok, you’ll see that this is one of the travel hacks that people are recommending. Please don’t do this,” said the airport boss.
A cunning maneuver with an imaginary disability is also used in European airports. Yes, one TikTok user uploaded a video in which he pretended to have an ankle injury and was given a wheelchair on a flight from Ibiza to Bristol. “I’m pretending to hurt my leg to pass the security check and get on the plane faster,” the tourist explained.
In turn, Mr. Holland-Kaye urged people who “really need the service” to let Heathrow know “in advance so we can make sure there are enough people to meet your needs”. In this way, he also made it clear that tourists who used such a life hack could not only leave without help those who really need it, but would also create a “queue for those who have the right to pass without queuing.”