Airports are excellent laboratories to study status roles. Who’s first. Who’s last. Who’s new. Who’s well-traveled. Who has money. Who doesn’t.

But very little of what you observe can be certain.

The man sitting in first-class by way of a happenstance upgrade.

The multi-millionaire flying coach.

A woman using the phrase, “Do you know who I am?” at the customer service counter.

As I waited to board a recent flight, two scenes were memorable: the group of people impatiently waiting for business-class to board first, and a smartly dressed young lady at the very end of the economy line, rolling an iconic $1,000 piece of aluminum carry-on luggage.

It’s all fascinating to watch, and the stories we invent about the people we see make for great fictional musings.