Politely queuing to check your luggage in at the desk before collecting boarding passes and heading to security is how many holidays abroad begin.
But going through the scanners brings a frustrating challenge in itself – the issue of ‘belt bumpers’.
The airport security process starts with passengers frantically emptying out liquids and bagging up their 100ml bottles, whilst also removing laptops from their carry-on and placing them separately in the tray.
Once the hordes of bags successfully make it through the scanners, there are usually eager holidaymakers waiting to grab their luggage and head for a classic airport pint before catching their flight.
This is when ‘belt bumping’, a term defined by Metro, can annoyingly take place.
The pesky habit many passengers are guilty of refers to when people don’t collect their tray and put it away properly after retrieving their belongings.
Some holidaymakers might simply grab their items from the tray whilst it is still on the conveyor belt and leave it there, causing a backlog as other trays process through.
Others take the tray over to the unloading tables, but fail to stack it neatly with the other empties.
The pesky habit many passengers are guilty of refers to when people don’t collect their tray and put it away properly after retrieving their belongings
Despite any written signs, or even verbal instructions from airport staff trying to keep things running smoothly, many still participate in ‘belt bumping’.
It’s frustrating for those who do follow the rules, and Blaise Kelly, 26, told Metro: ‘It’s horrible etiquette and disrespectful to the queue and people working at the airport. It’s also a request from the staff, so you’re basically choosing to ignore them.’
One passenger, Charlotte Howard, 26, takes things into her own hands: ‘I’ve started making a point to passive-aggressively put everyone’s trays back for them, giving a big smile to the security workers as I go.’
Several travellers have expressed their annoyance on the matter on social media, and one person @mariadinca_ shared a video on TikTok outlining ‘airport security tray etiquette’.
In the video, the holidaymaker demonstrates taking a tray and stacking it neatly.
The caption reads, ‘Every time I travel I’m amazed how many people just leave them on the conveyor belt, which leads to more delays and more work for airport staff or other passengers to deal with.’
Another person, who goes by @mybreakingviews, shared a video and said: ‘I just want to say, can we please just put our trays away while we’re going through security. It takes less than 20 seconds and I swear it quickens the process.’
Meanwhile, @echobravoclub posted on TikTok how it really ‘bugs’ them when people leave their trays.
Others take the tray over to the unloading tables, but fail to stack it neatly with the other empties
The video caption said: ‘How annoying are people that don’t put their trays back after going through security?
‘Just slows it down. Just put your tray back.’
But there are possible reasons why travellers might not put the trays away properly.
Etiquette expert Laura Windsor pointed out that some holidaymakers might have their hands full with children or elderly relatives.
She argues just because someone ‘belt bumps’ does not mean they have ‘bad etiquette’ and even goes as far as saying ‘it isn’t compulsory, and it isn’t the passenger’s responsibility’.
Hygiene and concerns over catching germs is another possible reason, with some travellers wanting to avoid getting ill for their holiday.
Forbes reported back in 2018 how a study published in BMC Infectious Diseases found the trays are often guilty of harbouring viruses.
Researchers swabbed trays and other items at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland.
Despite any written signs, or even verbal instructions from airport staff trying to keep things running smoothly, many still participate in ‘belt bumping’
The results revealed that four out of the eight luggage trays they tested at security were positive for common respiratory disease-causing viruses.
On the trays, they found adeno, influenza A, rhino and human corona OC43.
Some holidaymakers aren’t afraid of handling the security trays, however, and there is a trend of ‘aesthetically’ arranging belongings in the tray and taking a photograph to share on social media.
One video, posted by @georgiasianxx, shows two women taking photos of their carefully placed items, including lip gloss, headphones and a hand bag.
