It's time to clear the air

At airports, pyjamas, hungover travellers, and lax norms abound. But do we really want to see people at their worst?

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I was on my way back from my New Year break when it first hit me. Arriving at the airport at the unearthly hour of 6 am to take a flight back to Delhi, sleepy and bleary-eyed (I never can sleep when I know I have to wake up early in the morning), all I wanted was a nice cup of coffee to jolt me into consciousness.

But as I walked to the coffee counter at the lounge, I realised to my horror that some of my fellow passengers were indulging in an entirely different kind of tipple. Some of them were cracking open cans of beer, others were pouring themselves glasses of wine (or was it Champagne?) while some others were hitting the vodka and gin.

At 6 in the morning! That's when the realisation hit me: When you are at the airport, anything goes. The normal rules and regulations of civilised behaviour no longer exist, and everyone does pretty much what they want.