Is it a thing for older people to be picked up from the airport?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dad will be flying in for an extended visit the day after Thanksgiving. Before he bought a flight, he asked when would be a good time. DH and I said mid-week and mid-day into DCA while DS4 and DS1 are out of the house. He decided on a flight that comes in at 5:30 (I didn't know it was the day after Thanksgiving at the time) and I said that he could uber/lyft to my house because that is daycare pick up and then dinner time/bedtime start. If he ubered, he would get to our house in time to hang out with DS4 for a little while. We found a flight that would arrive at 10 AM but he said he would have to wake up too early. He said he didn't think it would be too much trouble for us to pick him up. I don't understand why he can't just uber? Is it rude of me not to pick up my dad at the airport? I wonder if it is an old person thing - he is familiar with the uber and lyft app.

They can Uber.

Working family schedule > retired persons preferences

X100000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me blow your mind… They still have taxis at the airport. FOR REAL. My mom isn’t comfortable Ubering either. I do my best to pick her up but if I can’t, she gets a taxi.

Right? My parents often take a taxi (we don't have a car). It's super easy. No apps required.

+1

Yup. You can afford first class, you afford a taxi.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s kind of rude to not pick up your dad at the airport if he wants you to. Is there no way to adjust your schedule to pick him up?

FYI - my mom (73) is fine ubering TO the airport, but will literally wait and read a book at the airport if our schedules don’t mesh.

This is idiotic.

Retired person: What time is a good time to come in?
Parent of (at least) 4 kids: There's a flight that gets in at 10:00 am.
Retired person: Oh, I don't want to wake up early! I'll get in at 5:30 pm!
Parent of (at least) 4 kids: OK, Dad, can you take an Uber?
Retired person: Oh, it won't be too much trouble to pick me up!

And you think the Parent of (at least) 4 kids is the rude one here? Come on.

Based on OP’s excuses, yes, it’s rude. Especially since her DH sounds basically useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s kind of rude to not pick up your dad at the airport if he wants you to. Is there no way to adjust your schedule to pick him up?

FYI - my mom (73) is fine ubering TO the airport, but will literally wait and read a book at the airport if our schedules don’t mesh.

This is idiotic.

Retired person: What time is a good time to come in?
Parent of (at least) 4 kids: There's a flight that gets in at 10:00 am.
Retired person: Oh, I don't want to wake up early! I'll get in at 5:30 pm!
Parent of (at least) 4 kids: OK, Dad, can you take an Uber?
Retired person: Oh, it won't be too much trouble to pick me up!

And you think the Parent of (at least) 4 kids is the rude one here? Come on.

Based on OP’s excuses, yes, it’s rude. Especially since her DH sounds basically useless.

I don't think the OP has 4 kids. I think she has 2 kids, one is 4, the other is 1. I think she just used the DS4, DS1 designations incorrectly, with the number indicating the kids' ages instead of their order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pick up. Old, young, middle- everyone. I also take them to the airport.

Us too. Guests are coming - someone picks them up. If it's either of our parents, we usually bring the kids who are awake and they are excited to be the greeting committee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an older thing, it’s a being a good host thing. Age has nothing to do with it. I’ve never heard of someone flying to visit and you don’t pick them up. It’s not a business trip.

This. If someone is taking the time to fly in to visit you, the very least you can do is greet them at the airport. Pull in, park, stand at the exit and welcome them on arrival.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is the only region I have ever lived in where people seem to really push back against picking guests up. So I think it's regional vs an age thing. Or maybe people in DC are just less kind than elsewhere.

It's a city thing. You don't expect relatives in NYC to pick you up at the airport.

Speak for yourself.
I lived in Manhattan & Brooklyn my entire life, and I've always picked up friends/relatives.
Ten miles isn't really an excuse to not be considerate.

If you have a car, okay. If you don’t it makes literally zero sense to get a cab/car service/Uber to the airport, meet your peeps, and then get ANOTHER cab/car service/Uber back. I never meet my parents when they visit me in Brooklyn, and they don’t expect it. In fact, they would be horrified at the superfluous time and expense of such an endeavor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would literally never occur to me to not pick my parents up from the airport. I would park and be at the security exit waiting for them and then I’d carry their bags to the car. And they would do the same for me until recently when they gave up highway and night driving.

I would never expect someone to pick me up at the airport. I arrange my own flights and I arrange my own ground transport to my destination.

[Anonymous]

Old people (and me) don't do these apps, but we know how to take a cab. Tell them to take a cab. If money is an issue, offer to pay for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is the only region I have ever lived in where people seem to really push back against picking guests up. So I think it's regional vs an age thing. Or maybe people in DC are just less kind than elsewhere.

It's a city thing. You don't expect relatives in NYC to pick you up at the airport.

Speak for yourself.
I lived in Manhattan & Brooklyn my entire life, and I've always picked up friends/relatives.
Ten miles isn't really an excuse to not be considerate.

If you have a car, okay. If you don’t it makes literally zero sense to get a cab/car service/Uber to the airport, meet your peeps, and then get ANOTHER cab/car service/Uber back. I never meet my parents when they visit me in Brooklyn, and they don’t expect it. In fact, they would be horrified at the superfluous time and expense of such an endeavor.

Lived in Manhattan for over a decade and never went to the airport to pick up relatives. They used taxis without any problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an older thing, it’s a being a good host thing. Age has nothing to do with it. I’ve never heard of someone flying to visit and you don’t pick them up. It’s not a business trip.

This. If someone is taking the time to fly in to visit you, the very least you can do is greet them at the airport. Pull in, park, stand at the exit and welcome them on arrival.

I think this dates from the era when you could meet someone at the gate - but that was a long time ago, pre 9-11. Now it’s purely a transport issue which can be outsourced. The welcome occurs at the house.

[Anonymous]

Yeah it is really rude not to pick up your parents if they fly in to visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pick up. Old, young, middle- everyone. I also take them to the airport.

Same, if at all possible. Depending on the circumstances, I either park and go in to get them or meet them at curb.
I also track arriving flights.

OP, you have a DH problem (inability to cover the home front while you go to the airport), not a dad problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s kind of rude to not pick up your dad at the airport if he wants you to. Is there no way to adjust your schedule to pick him up?

FYI - my mom (73) is fine ubering TO the airport, but will literally wait and read a book at the airport if our schedules don’t mesh.

This is idiotic.

Retired person: What time is a good time to come in?
Parent of (at least) 4 kids: There's a flight that gets in at 10:00 am.
Retired person: Oh, I don't want to wake up early! I'll get in at 5:30 pm!
Parent of (at least) 4 kids: OK, Dad, can you take an Uber?
Retired person: Oh, it won't be too much trouble to pick me up!

And you think the Parent of (at least) 4 kids is the rude one here? Come on.

Based on OP’s excuses, yes, it’s rude. Especially since her DH sounds basically useless.

I don't think the OP has 4 kids. I think she has 2 kids, one is 4, the other is 1. I think she just used the DS4, DS1 designations incorrectly, with the number indicating the kids' ages instead of their order.

Well, when you count the DH who can't seem to drive/know where the airport is, make some mac&cheese/broccoli for dinner, or monitor baths and a bedtime story for small children, then OP has 3 needy children.

[Anonymous]

Barring any odd circumstances I would NEVER decline to pick up family from the airport. That seems so bizarre to me.