Provisional Order on Airport Crowd Shock
Travel has resumed. The airport contains people. This is worse than anticipated.
To: The Person Standing in Terminal 1 Holding a Boarding Pass They Were Excited to Hold From: The Record Re: Airport Crowd Shock, Incident Filed March 2022 Date: Today, which is the first time the subject has been in an airport in twenty-two months
This correspondence acknowledges the onset of Airport Crowd Shock, which was triggered at approximately 8:47 AM at the point of entering the security queue and observing that the security queue was, in fact, a queue rather than a perfunctory walk past a single officer.
The subject is aware that airports have always contained people. The subject has been in airports before. The subject booked this trip voluntarily and described the trip to colleagues as "something to look forward to."
Background
For twenty-two months, the subject's social environment was managed at a comfortable scale. Grocery runs at off-peak hours. Dinner with a known number of known individuals. Video calls with visible participant counts that could be anticipated before the meeting began.
The airport contains an unmanaged number of people. All of them are also traveling. None of them have been consulted about spacing.
Current Status
The subject has cleared security. The subject is now seated at a gate. The gate area is at approximately 70 percent capacity. This is normal gate occupancy. The subject is experiencing it as unexpectedly dense.
The boarding process will begin in forty minutes. The boarding process will involve standing in proximity to other travelers. The subject is pre-managing their energy for this event.
The Governing Rule
Social recovery time must be hidden inside the calendar because wanting people and needing rest are treated as opposites. The subject wants to travel and has looked forward to this trip. The subject also requires two hours of quiet after arriving at the destination to return to operational capacity. These facts coexist without conflict. Neither has been mentioned to the person meeting the subject at the other end.
Consequence
After repetition, other people begin adjusting their behavior around airport crowd shock. Future travel planning now includes a buffer day. The buffer day is described in the calendar as "admin." It is not admin.
Eventually airport crowd shock acquires an unwritten enforcement system that everyone denies creating. The subject has begun booking direct flights at higher cost to reduce total airport time. This is classified internally as a preference.
Status
The trip is happening. Recovery is pre-scheduled. The boarding announcement has been made.
The subject is ready.