An entry from The Fat Guy about being ticked off by a noisy group in the departure lounge reminded me of the last flight I took from Chicago to DFW.  We were delayed after landing because we were early and the plane in front of us at the gate was late in leaving.  I was seated in the next to last row, which isn’t far from where the flight attendants sit on a 777.  The guy in the back row was going nuts because the flight attendants were talking practically non-stop for the 30-40 minutes we were sitting there.  It was both annoying to have to listen to them and unprofessional, as they were talking badly about some passengers they had encountered on earlier flights (not that these passengers probably didn’t deserve to be talked about, but it’s probably best not to do it where other passengers can hear; that little curtain at the back of the plane isn’t soundproof).