Airlines Are Cracking Down On This Sneaky Boarding Trick New Airport Rules

In today's video, we'll be walking through the unwritten rules at the airport that every traveler needs to know. And if you haven't flown in a while, things have changed. The first thing to know is that the moving walkways have an unwritten rule where travelers who are standing should be standing on the right and those that are walking should be walking on the left. The mistake most travelers make is standing in the middle, standing side by side with whoever they're traveling with or letting their roller bag drift into the walking lane, all of which completely blocks anyone from moving past you. So stand on the right, keep your carry-on directly in front of you, and let the people who are walking pass you on the left. The next rule is that you should never, ever leave your bag or any of your belongings unattended at the airport or even at the airport's bathroom. I know it feels like a hassle to drag your roller bag into a stall with you, but parking it outside the door, leaving it by the sinks, or setting it down by your gate, even just for 30 seconds, is not a good idea. Unattended bags can be stolen, rummaged through, or, and this is the one that people don't think about, have something slipped inside of them. Airport security staff take unattended bags very seriously, and sometimes you can get away with leaving it and having nothing happen. Other times you could walk away for just a minute and end up in serious trouble. If they spot you're sitting alone, they may flag it, which then turns into a whole situation where you have to go and retrieve it and explain why your bag was hanging out by itself. Most modern airport stalls are actually big enough to fit a roller bag inside with you, and if you do have a lot of luggage, the family bathroom is usually an option. Just be quick and don't stay in there too long because they are in high demand for actual families or people with mobility issues. I feel like using the family washroom could be an unwritten rule in itself, so be quick. Crowding the boarding area before your group is called is one of the most common airport mistakes, and airline workers even have a not-so-flattering name for the people who do it. Gate lice. You heard that correctly. It's when passengers hover at the front of the gate before their boarding group is actually called, which blocks priority travelers, families with strollers, and people with mobility needs who are supposed to be the ones boarding first. Travelers who do this usually think that by getting closer to the gate that means they're going to get on the plane faster, but it actually does the opposite. Gate agents have to stop everything and ask people to step back so the right group can board, which then slows down the whole process for everyone, including the person that was trying to get ahead. Failing to follow the rules is not only going to slow everything down for you and everyone else, but it can also lead to some pretty embarrassing situations for you. American Airlines and Delta both have technology now that beeps and flat-out rejects passengers who try to scan their boarding pass before their group has been called, and anyone that's ever been called out in front of the class knows that it is not fun. So sit down, check your boarding zone on your mobile or your printed boarding pass, and then wait until your group is actually called before you head to the gate entrance. The next unwritten rule is to have your ID ready, which has actually gotten a lot more confusing over the past couple of years. When going through the TSA checkpoint at one airport, you might be asked to show your physical real ID card. At another checkpoint, you might use face scanning technology, and at another one, they might only accept digital ID through your phone's wallet. And as if that's not confusing enough, later at the gate, your airline might want you to scan your boarding pass, or tap your phone, or show your passport, or just have face scanning technology and not ask you to show anything for you to board the flight. The fastest way to figure out what you will need to do at the TSA checkpoint or when you go to board a flight is by just watching what travelers ahead of you are doing, and then prepare to do the same thing. Let us know down in the video comments how you feel about face scanning technology being used at the airport, as opposed to having travelers actually show their boarding pass or their ID. I personally find it a little bit creepy, but then on the other hand, it is crazy how fast the line is moving when face scanning technology is in place and it's working. Also, while you're down there in the comment section, consider subscribing to the channel as it's going to help other travelers find these videos, and it's a free way to support Olly and I in making these videos, so we really appreciate it. Thank you. It's also a good idea to pack your electronics and your liquids somewhere that TSA can actually get to them quickly if they do need to take a look. These are the items that most commonly trigger secondary screening, which is when a TSA officer has to manually go through your bag to verify what's in there. If your bag does get flagged on the x-ray, they have to pull all the things out to see whatever it is that set it off, and that process takes time. It's also a pain to have to repack after. If you have ever had an officer unpack your bag, you know that they are not neat and tidy about it, and they often hand it back to you in a giant disaster. Good luck. Speaking of repacking, whether your bag has been searched or not, as you get to the other side of the TSA checkpoint, the next unwritten rule is to step away from the belt before you put yourself back together and repack your items. The problem with standing right at the conveyor belt to put your shoes back on, repack your laptop, and dig your passport out of the bin is that you are physically blocking the next person's bag from coming through, and behind them is another bag, and then another bag, and another bag, and all of a sudden before you know it, the whole line is backed up because there is someone standing at the conveyor belt trying to put on their own belt. Move to the side. Most airports have actually solved for this by adding what they call a recomposed area, which is typically a set of benches or counters that are just past the security section where you can take your time to reorganize your stuff before you head to your gate. Putting your phone on speaker while on a call or watching a show in the terminal is one of those airport habits that makes everyone around you instantly uncomfortable. Just use headphones, please. It's considerate to the people sitting next to you, and it's also worth remembering that airports are public spaces full of strangers, airline staff, and cameras. Everything you say is likely being overheard and possibly recorded, so keep the personal stuff personal. And speaking of taking calls without broadcasting to the entire terminal, that is exactly why I partner with today's video sponsor, Soundcore. Soundcore's new Liberty 5 Pro earbuds hold the Guinness World Record for sound clarity, and now I totally understand why they earned that title. Crystal clear calls cuts through background noise so your voice stays clean whether you're in a busy terminal, a noisy cafe, or on a crowded bus. The noise cancellation performance is also excellent, ensuring that you won't be disturbed by others. The Pro Max version takes it a step further with an AI note-taker built directly into the case, recording your calls and meetings, and auto-generating summaries, speaker labels, and to-do lists, perfect for business travelers. The built-in case screen also lets you handle every control without ever pulling out your phone. And right now, Soundcore is offering a 30-day try-before-you-buy on their official site with limited slots, so if you do want to give them a try before your next business trip, risk-free, you will definitely want to check out the link down in the video description. The next unwritten rule is about wheelchair use and the accessibility seating at the boarding gate. The seats that are closest to gate entrance are reserved for passengers with mobility needs, wheelchair users, and travelers who genuinely need a little bit of extra time getting from their seat to the boarding gate. So if you don't actually need these seats, then do leave them open, even if all of the other seats are already taken. To be honest, standing before your flight is probably going to be doing you some good considering you will be sitting for a long time very soon. Wheelchair misuse has become a real issue in air travel over the past couple years, where travelers request a wheelchair specifically to skip the security line or to board their flight early, and then they seem to walk off the plane completely fine at their destination without needing a wheelchair. Suspicious! It got bad enough that Southwest ended its wheelchair-first boarding policy in January 2026 after widespread concerns about misuse, which ultimately hurts the travelers who actually need the service. This is a very sensitive topic, so I do want to make it clear that there is not a problem with seeking assistance if you actually need assistance. What is a problem is using an accessibility need as a travel hack, or should I say faking an accessibility need to use it as a And if you don't, leave those seats, that wheelchair service, and the priority boarding for someone who does. And if you do need assistance at the airport, an unwritten rule that travelers are almost never told about would be that you should be tipping the skycap or the wheelchair assistant that is helping you. Skycaps are the porters at curbside check-in who help with your Wheelchair attendants are the people who push you through the airport from check-in all the way to the gate and then often help you board the plane as well. What most travelers don't realize is that these are often tip-wage workers who rely on gratuity as part of their actual income, similar to a server at a restaurant. The general guide is to be tipping around $3 to $10 for a skycap depending on how many bags and how far they help you, and then about $3 to $5 minimum for a wheelchair attendant going up to $5 to $10 if they do take you a long distance or they wait with you at the gate to help you board the flight. And circling back to the gate area, in addition to not taking the priority seating if you do not need it, you also don't want to be sprawling out across multiple seats, which means putting your limbs and belongings and your feet or even your bag on a seat when you are one person. Your luggage goes on the floor between your legs, it does not go on the seat beside you. And lying across multiple seats is also a hard no, especially once the gate area starts filling up. If you're sitting at a completely empty gate well before your flight, use your judgment. That is a different situation and maybe it's okay to take up more than one seat. But as people start arriving, one person gets one seat and your bag gets the floor or your lap. If your feet are tired, the trick is to rest them on top of your rolling carry-on suitcase in front of you rather than pop them up on airport seating. And please keep your shoes on while you do that because bare feet at the gate is one of those things that immediately makes everyone around you silently judge your entire character. No bare feet is actually an official rule that is enforced by many major airlines. However, airlines also have these unofficial dress code rules that are sometimes enforced and often just very subjective that you do want to know about. Passengers have actually been challenged, asked to cover up or removed from flights over outfits that include very short shorts, crop tops, revealing clothing, shirts with offensive language, or anything that airline staff decides is inappropriate under their contract of carriage. The frustrating part is that these rules can be genuinely subjective. One gate agent might not say a word about an outfit while another gate agent on a different airline rejects you from boarding the flight. And most travelers don't even know that this is something airline gate agents have legal right to enforce. Use your judgment and if you are at all questioning whether or not the outfit you are wearing to the airport is appropriate, you should probably just skip it. Leave that one at home. I have a full video breaking down the exact airport outfit that will get you through security easily and keep you comfortable on a long flight. I'll put that on the screen here as well as link it down in the video description for you to watch next. Knowing and following these unwritten airport rules is going to at the very best keep you out of some serious trouble, but at the very least not make you the most hated person in the terminal. So thank you so much for watching. Share this with any travelers that you think might need to hear it. And then I also hope you'll subscribe to join Ollie and I... Ollie is this half-asleep puppy on my lap... to join us back here for more travel tips and hacks each week with new videos and we will see you in that next one soon. Bye!