Many of us have witnessed unusual—and sometimes downright bizarre—behavior at airports or on flights.
People sleep on the floor, do yoga in front of departure screens, or engage in heated arguments before dawn.
In more extreme cases, some try to open airplane doors mid-flight or get into drunken altercations, leading airlines to consider bans or restrictions on alcohol sales.
But what is it about airports that seem to warp our behavior? The answer lies in psychology, geography, and even a little philosophy.
A Different State of Mind
For many travelers, the airport marks the beginning of an adventure. The excitement of a long-awaited vacation creates a ‘holiday mindset,’ where people loosen up, eager to escape routine.
The rules that apply in daily life seem less relevant—hence the 6 a.m. cocktails at airport bars.
For others, airports induce stress and anxiety. Flying can be unnerving, and the crowded, noisy environment heightens discomfort.
Studies in environmental psychology show that human beings are highly sensitive to external stressors like noise, bright lights, and congestion.
These stressors lead to sensory overload, making people more irritable and prone to frustration, impatience, and outbursts.
Anxious individuals are especially vulnerable. Research suggests that anxiety correlates with increased irritability and a lower tolerance for inconvenience, which can turn a small delay into a full-blown meltdown.
Airports as ‘Thin Places’: A Psychogeographic Perspective
In Celtic traditions, “thin places” are locations where the boundary between the material and spiritual world is particularly faint. They evoke a sense of disorientation, awe, or transformation.
Airports, in their own modern way, are a kind of thin place. They exist in a liminal state—neither here nor there. When you pass through security, you are effectively between national borders, in a kind of no man’s land.
This creates a psychological dissociation from reality. Time itself becomes fluid—many travelers find themselves eating meals at odd hours or sleeping in broad daylight.
Some flights across time zones even land “earlier” than their departure time. This temporal dislocation can be unsettling, as we typically rely on time and routine for a sense of stability.
Airports also strip us of identity markers. Outside our normal environment, we lose the social and cultural context that defines us.
Without familiar routines, places, or people, some individuals may feel unmoored, which can lead to out-of-character behavior.
Why Some People Break Social Norms at Airports
Airports don’t just encourage anti-social behavior—they also foster unusual pro-social behavior.
Strangers, who would never chat in a grocery store, might suddenly find themselves deep in conversation about their destinations and travel plans.
Social norms become fluid. This loosening of boundaries explains why some people behave more freely, drinking earlier in the day, wearing pajamas in public, or engaging in conversations with strangers they’d normally ignore.
Alcohol further lubricates this shift, reducing inhibitions and amplifying behavior.
For some, the experience of stepping into a liminal, “lawless” space is liberating. They may act more boldly or recklessly, indulging in excesses they wouldn’t allow themselves at home.
The Freud Factor: The Airport as an Ego-Free Zone
Sigmund Freud might have described airport behavior as a battle between the ego and the id.
- The ego represents rationality, self-control, and social decorum.
- The id is our primal, impulsive side—the seat of our desires, aggression, and need for instant gratification.
In daily life, the ego keeps the id in check. But in an airport—where normal social and physical boundaries are lifted—the id often takes control.
People indulge in behavior they might otherwise suppress, whether that means impulsively buying duty-free goods, drinking excessively, or starting arguments.
When alcohol enters the mix, the id gains even more power, explaining why intoxicated individuals sometimes cause mayhem mid-flight.
Should Alcohol Be Banned at Airports?
Given that multiple psychological and environmental factors encourage reckless behavior at airports, some airlines have pushed for alcohol restrictions.
Ryanair has suggested a two-drink limit at airport bars to prevent unruly passengers from boarding flights intoxicated.
Would such a ban work? Some argue that it’s necessary, as alcohol exacerbates stress, anxiety, and disinhibition. Others say it’s an overreach and that most passengers drink responsibly.
Ultimately, the strange psychological effects of airports will persist—whether alcohol is involved or not.
They are places where time blurs, social norms dissolve, and emotions intensify. So the next time you find yourself at an airport, take a moment to observe the fascinating limbo-like state that surrounds you.
Just don’t try to open the airplane door mid-flight.
References
- Environmental Psychology: Effects of Stressors on Behavior (Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2021)
- Liminal Spaces and Disorientation (Psychogeography Review, 2019)
- The Id, Ego, and Airports: A Freudian Perspective (Psychology Today, 2023)
