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“Kidney Stone Decided To Pass On My Flight”: 39 Flight Horror Stories From Funny To Traumatic
Almost a century and a quarter have passed since the Wright brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk, and aviation has come a long way. Now, we sit in comfortable seats, watch movies, read books, enjoy food and drinks during long flights—pleasures unimaginable to passengers in the first half of the 20th century.
And yet, no matter how comfortable modern aircrafts are, long flights continue to be an almost inexhaustible source of stories about numerous quarrels, inconveniences and simply awkward situations on board. There’s even a special online thread dedicated to such stories, a selection of the best tales from which we present to you today.
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Young woman traveling on her own with a very clear fear of flying on a 12 hour flight, downed some pills with red wine, was already visibly drunk, liquid s**t herself 5 hours in, I had the window there was no one in between and she had the aisle.. called for a flight attendant who spent at least 15 minutes trying to wake her up.. I had an extra pair of sweatpants in my backpack that I gave to her. She was in terror, mortified.. when we landed she asked for my address.
She sent me the nicest thank you card and a pair of nicer sweats in the same color and size I gave her.
Karl der Große 11 months ago
The first time I flew without my parents I was seated near a woman who was dressed very nicely, with a business suit and prim briefcase. Everything about her said "professional." Once the doors closed, she started to emanate pure fear. She trembled through the whole flight and couldn't even talk normally to the flight attendant who checked on her. It shows that we are all people inside regardless of how polished our facade is.
Uncle Schmickle 11 months ago
Poor lady. That was very decent of you to help, and also for her to respond later. I just feel so sorry for people who end up in these types of situations accidentally.
Zoe 11 months ago
So you just gave her your address? I would like to thank you for the sentiment, and add something like "if I did the right thing, it will surely come back to me somehow". I wouldn't give my address to strangers, not at all.
RELATED:
#2
Flying UK - Doha - East coast Australia.
Somewhere over the southern tip of India I started to feel very off. Hours and hours of horrific cramps, gas, nausea, fevers. Nothing happening in the bathroom though.
Got off in Oz and made it to the first bathroom. My body then turned into an outlet for what I can only assume was satan’s firehose, based on volume and violence at which fluid was emptying from my body.
Made it through immigration and home in one piece, sweating and whimpering. Spent the next 24hours sat in my bathroom, simultaneously s******g myself and vomiting. Only saving grace is that it didn’t start on the plane.
ElfVibratorGlitter 11 months ago
Satan's firehose. 🤣🤣🤣 Learning so many great terms this morning.
Debby Keir 11 months ago
Had an infant in the seat in front of me, vomiting throughout the flight - it was obviously noro type issues rather than travel related. Gave the mum a pack of travel wipes to help clean up. When we got off the plane - she handed me back the remainder of the wipes (pack covered in p*ke) I was not pleased to be handling infectious material.
Jocelyn Webster 11 months ago
I had whatever the heck this is. And yes, I will agree Satan's firehose is a good name. Mine lasted 3 weeks. Ended just before Christmas, good times.
Chucky Cheezburger 11 months ago
Oh...oh my...having horrific gas...trapped in a cylinder where you can't open a windows... I wonder if the emergency oxygen masks dropped.
Mare Freed 11 months ago
Sounds like norovirus. I had it over Christmas this year, but luckily I wasn't traveling.
#3
Food poisoning. Turns out, if you are small enough, you actually CAN lie in the fetal position on an airplane lavatory floor. And if you are sick enough, you really won't care that you are lying in the pee of dozens of strangers. Good times.
detective miller's hat 11 months ago
Getting a bad upset stomach on a long flight is one of the worst things ever ever ever.
2x4b523p 11 months ago
I had my first ever billiary colic very recently during 14 hour flight, started shortly after meal service probably set off by the fatty airline meal. I never felt such intense pain in my life and had no idea what is happening and what to do. My mind was racing between wondering if I should tell the flight attendand and not wanting to cause fuss. In the end I decided to try and hide it and see if I live. I was shivering, cold sweating, puking and trying not to scream from pain for 4-5 hours before the pain slowly passed. Those toilets are not made for puking but like OP I had no care in the world at that point.
Kalikima 11 months ago
Is that what you call the pain from gallbladder attacks? Cuz it sounds like it, and honestly, I've never felt a pain like it in my life..
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ZuriLovesYou 11 months ago
I think I'd rather have food poisoning than lie in the pee of strangers.
Zoe 11 months ago
As we can see, you can always catch both up at the same time. :/
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KatSaidWhat 11 months ago
I am so picky about eating for two days before any lengthy flight because my IBS can betray at any time it wants. In fact, I tend to fast a bit.
Philippa Davies 11 months ago
I remember hearing a news story of a group of students who were all on the same plane, and all had gastro while on the plane. I also heard of someone I know getting gastro while on the plane but not being able to get up to the toilet because she was nursing her sleeping baby.
The original thread appeared in the r/travel community almost a month ago, when the user u/slightlylessright asked netizens to share their worst experiences on a long flight. Well, the thread gained comments like an airplane gains altitude, having as of today more than 1.1K different stories and discussions about them. And Bored Panda has collected 39 of the most interesting stories especially for you.
#4
A kidney stone decided to pass on my flight from Seattle to Tokyo. IYKYK.
Beth Wheeler 11 months ago
Oh I feel your pain but mine was to big to pass and I had to have surgery for it.
#5
I was visiting a friend on the east coast and took the 12-hour direct flight from Atlanta back to Honolulu. I sat next to this old guy that had a bad cold or some other sickness. He spent the entire flight coughing, and spitting his loogies into a gallon ziplock bag that he kept on his lap. By the time we landed, the entire bag was basically overflowing with his saliva with green phlegm floating around.
nottheactualphoto 11 months ago
I've been on that flight dozens of times. It's nine hours, not 12. But at least I had good enough luck that all of them were loogie-free!
#6
I started the live action DragonBall Z movie on the in flight entertainment screen. It malfunctioned and I couldn't get it to turn off.
It could be food poisoning on board, an unexpected attack of a chronic illness, simply sitting next to a crying baby, or just an incredibly entitled or smelly guy for hours and hours. Situations in which neither headphones nor an interesting book or movie will really help. When the only thing we want is for the plane to land as soon as possible, but fate doesn’t give us such a chance. At least in the next dozen hours in the air...
#7
It was 10+ years ago when I was 20. I had an overnight flight and chatted briefly with the guy next to me before I fell asleep. When I woke up, he had his hand on my thigh. He had a blanket over him but was definitely rubbing himself with his other hand. The plane was dark, and most people were asleep. He didn't notice I woke up, so I closed my eyes and made a movement to turn my legs to the other side. He shot his hand away. I pretended to sleep another hour (but I didn't obviously). He luckily didn't touch me again, but when I "woke" up later (when I heard other people awake), he asked me if I was asleep the whole time. I said "yea I really knocked out." I said I needed to go to the bathroom, meaning I needed him to get up. He asked me if I wanted him to come with me. I laughed and acted like I didn't know what he was talking about. Gross and uncomfortable and couldn't wait to get off that plane. I stopped chatting with plane neighbors after that.
ElfVibratorGlitter 11 months ago
This is so creepy. And OP just pretended like nothing happened, which honestly is what I would have done years ago. Just icky.
Kelly Scott 11 months ago (edited)
At the top of your lungs so EVERYONE hears you, shout, "Get your f*****g hands off me, you pervert!". I've had to use the shout exactly twice now and it worked both times.
Auntriarch 11 months ago
Yup, can confirm that works, and the flight attendant comes running.
Load More Replies... Robin Roper 11 months ago
Why are women on the hook for making creeps feel okay? Why do we feel it is our responsibility to not make a scene? This is so upsetting! She should have shouted that he keep his dirty gross hands to himself. I think women should randomly flick men's genitalia and explain it as "Oh sorry, my hand slipped." Maybe men would then understand what it's like to constantly be on guard.
Debbie 11 months ago
Because we (I) would want to de-escalate the situation, rather than escalate. Shouting or drawing attention to it escalates the situation. It might also be the fight, flight or freeze response. This is more of a flight/freeze - make yourself little, don't draw attention and hope it will all be over soon.
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Jocelyn Webster 11 months ago
Creep. Please tell me OP, that you said something to anyone other than the interior of your brain.
RabidChild 11 months ago
I would have ripped his hand off the end of his arm & beat him with it.
#8
I was 30 weeks pregnant, traveling across country (WA to FL) to see my grandparents with my 20 month old toddler, without my husband 😅 flight was as fine as fine can be with a busy toddler. Until about 4 hours in, when they said there was a bad storm in Tampa and we’d have to circle around until it passed. Fast forward to circling, they say we’re running low on gas and need to go to Orlando to fill up. Well, all the other planes from Tampa did too! We waited for another hour to get gas, the. another hour to fill up… all the while we weren’t allowed off the plane. They ran out of drinks and food. It was miserable. We finally got into Tampa 9.5 hours after we left Seattle. I silently cried as much as my toddler did, to be honest. It was brutal.
Hassel Davidhoff 11 months ago
I flew back from Europe to Florida and arrived to find a storm that delayed the landing of the plane in a very similar way. After such a long flight I was not happy.
Susan Reid Smith 11 months ago
Washington State in the northwest part of the continental United States to Florida in the southeast part of the country.
Load More Replies... #9
Parent of child who screamed whole flight. Believe me. Nobody wanted to open the door more than the parents.
"This situation can be partly explained by the fact that people, finding themselves in an unfamiliar situation for the body, are still subject to inevitable stress," says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, who Bored Panda asked for a comment here. "And a flight on an airplane, especially a multi-hour one, is still an unfamiliar situation, no matter how accustomed we are to aviation."
"Our brain, of course, understands that this is an absolutely ordinary situation, but the body is not only the brain. In addition, we subconsciously understand that one way or another, we are risking our lives and health while being in the air - and all this creates certain negative expectations in us. Therefore, some reactions of the body can also be negative."
#10
Going to France overnight from Chicago a guy kept his light on and talked non stop to the stewardess. Then the idiot got in and out of his seat 100 times to rummage through the loudest bag on the planet. He used chip bag material or something to stir his clothes.
At the airport he ran off the plane. Apparently he was some kind of safety speaker for the airline. I hate him.
Edit. I forgot to mention he stood on the armrest when he was getting into his bag. He literally stirred the bag until he found what he wanted. I have a pic of him at the airport. We called him master splinter because he was wearing a robe and sweatpants.
Sophia Athene 11 months ago (edited)
From Atlanta to Frankfort, Germany, I'm in the middle seat b/w a large man and apparently nervous teen-20s. I had on a short sleeve T-shirt and every little movement touched my sleeve. I folded and tucked the sleeve but his constant movements were still anxiety inducing but at least not as much. I would have loved to get up more in general and to escape this kid but the big man wanted me to climb around him to get out. Uh, no. I wasn't the b!+¢h I am today and only got up the few times he did. I was was in my mid-20s and more resilient. Today, I know how to control and use my voice and this would be a no-go today.
#11
Paris to Houston so it’s 11 hours during the day, not overnight.
Had just been broken up with by college GF studying abroad. On the aisle but in the central group of 4 seats. Entire 2 to 3 rows both in front and behind was all one group, I was the only non family member; was leaned over on multiple occasions for a conversation or to pass something. Many in the group brought homemade food on. Love Indian or Pakistani food, but not in this environment. Cherry on top was I got a Diet Coke can from stewardess and when she opened it it spewed all over me. In hair, face, clothes. Whole deal. Was so defeated, didn’t even bother changing shirts. That really sucked.
Myoviridae 11 months ago
Oh man. I had this on a flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. I was in an aisle seat, but surrounded by a huge family. They woke me up many times by pulling on my chair and I also woke up to them just leaning in front of me or passing things in front of my face. No boundaries at all.
#12
Just this month:
YYZ to HKG - middle seat next to an insane old woman. She stared at me most of the flight. Also greeted me with a bow and Ni Hao! when I said hello to her (she's white, I'm east Asian). While the plane was getting ready to take off, she told me to get off my phone or it'll be my fault if we end up in the ocean (my phone was already on airplane mode as I explained to her). She then got up from her seat while the plane was ascending. After dinner service, she proceeded to scream at everyone to go to sleep. She got up and started turning people's monitors off and yelling at children to sleep. She also made questionable racial remarks the entirety of the flight.
HKG to YYZ - Seemingly half the flight had a disgusting cough, no masks on these people, just open mouth coughing the entire flight. I'm now down with a bacterial infection (with a cough worse than bronchitis) despite wearing a mask during the whole flight. Go figure.
Winnie the Moo 3 months ago
I always wonder: where were the stewards or stewardesses?
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JB 11 months ago (edited)
For the millionth bloody time! Vaccines don’t prevent you getting a virus, they simply prep your immune system with antibodies to fight it and thus weaken the effects. Similarly, ordinary face masks don’t protect you from infection unless everyone is wearing them because the primary intent is to limit others’ exposure to your exhalations. The reason smallpox, tuberculosis, measles and polio have been almost eradicated in cultures where we’re vaccinated against them isn’t because the virus no longer exists. It’s because just about everyone has the antibodies to minimize and weaken the virus. How do we know? Anywhere there’s a proportionally significant population of antivaxxers, there have been outbreaks of formerly “eradicated” diseases. I actually blame the scientists as much as the idiots. The intelligent people need to stop saying that vaccines eradicate the disease, they don’t. They simply make it possible to contract the virus with minimal effect because your body knows how to fight the disease before it multiplies to a detrimental degree.
ElfVibratorGlitter 11 months ago
Most of my nastiest illnesses I came down with after a long flight. Usually it's on my way to someplace (versus flying home) :(
Bec 11 months ago
I know someone who had a MIL who could be a bit of a pain at home, but when they took her on a flight it became clear that she might have some more serious mental health issues because she was flipping out that the person behind her was kicking her seat (they weren't, just normal plane movements) and she was shouting at the flight attendants about it and would not let it go, while her family was trying to calm her down.
KatSaidWhat 11 months ago
How is that person not moved or given a warning of being escorted off.
WickedLibra70 11 months ago
Phone only interferes with radio signals, so it could keep the pilots and towers or whoever from contacting or the signal breaking up
Amelia Jade 11 months ago
Not if those with the virus don't wear them, which the ones in this story were not.
Load More Replies..."In addition, a long stay in a confined space with several dozen or hundreds of other people, absolutely without any opportunity to be alone or leave this space, also contributes to our mood. Therefore, even if we perceived some situation quite calmly and patiently, being on land, then several miles above sea level everything is perceived completely differently," Irina Matveeva summarizes.
#13
15ish hours AUH - YYZ. An old woman seated in the row behind me was looking quite rough from the start of the flight and was making strange gurgling noises on and off for a few hours. About 9 hours in, a bunch of FAs gather around and next thing I know, they’ve laid her out in the aisle next to me and were calling for a doctor.
They couldn’t revive her and she died. The plane was packed so they left her there, covered in a sheet for the remainder of the flight. Right next to my seat.
Toni B 11 months ago
As soon as you said gurgling noises, I knew she was dying. It sounds quite traumatic for you. Sadly, there really wasn't much else they could do.
Victoria Silvas 11 months ago
OMG if that happen to me I'll literally be mortified for the rest of my life!!! >-<
#14
Twelve years ago I had to fly from BWI to John Wayne International, which is around seven hours. Packed flight. My company purchased a seat for me on the aisle in the very last row, against the lavatory bulkhead. At the last minute, a guy came down the aisle to sit in the middle seat. He was big. Like close to 400 lbs. There was a tiny woman in the window seat, and she was trapped there for the duration. My man got a seatbelt extender and settled in. He was very nice, and apologetic, too. I’m 6’3”, 195 lbs, so I was not going to fit it the seat next to him. But since the flight was sold out, the flight attendants came up with the solution of me sitting semi-sideways, at an awkward angle, with my back to my seatmate, and my legs jutting out into the aisle, but curled against the side of the seat in front of me, so I shaped like a gawky S. I looked ridiculous and it was wildly uncomfortable. And everyone who had to walk by me to use the lavatory stifled a laugh as they passed. It was humiliating. And when I stood up to hang out near the bathroom, the flight attendants would bark at me. Longest seven hours of my life.
Upstaged75 11 months ago
I had the exact same situation once! It was a small plane so only 2 seats on each side. Massive guy had the window seat and I had the aisle. He took up about half of my seat as well as his own, so I ended up sitting almost sideways with my legs in the aisle. I was SO mad but the flight was full and they had nowhere else to put me. Thankfully it was a very short flight, but I paid for a whole seat, which I didn't get. I'm overweight too, but I fit in a standard seat. That guy should not have been allowed on a plane with small seats or he should have bought 2 of them.
Uncle Schmickle 11 months ago
That's BS. I would have told them "no" ..... find me another seat even if it's business or 1st class. Are they out of their minds to expect a 6'3" man to sit kinda sideways ? NOPE.
#15
Doha to LA, so 16 hours, family behind me included a developmentally challenged teen. Dad had to change her diaper in the seat multiple times over the flight, banging into my seat constantly while doing so, so I could never just fall asleep, and of course I really couldn’t say or do anything because…it’s gotta be hell for them.
Upstaged75 11 months ago
Did you not read it? They had a teenager who was in diapers. How the hell would you fit 2 adult sized people in an airplane bathroom?
Load More Replies...However, no matter how reasonable the expert explanations may seem, we still encounter unpleasant situations on airplanes, and we certainly cannot stop flying. After all, this makes the world smaller, more convenient and learnable for us. So various poor experiences from the flights are just a “necessary evil,” and all we can do here is just read these tales and maybe share our own experiences with other people.
#16
The flight from Auckland to SFO was actually pretty chill, but here’s my chance to point out that because I used the opportunity to veg out for 13 hours, I ended up with a blood clot that required emergency surgery.
So, remember to move around, stay hydrated, and consider compression socks and maybe an aspirin or two, would be my advice. I’d been backpacking in New Zealand for five weeks and was in my early 50s, so it’s not something that happens exclusively to people who already have one foot in the grave.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
We were on a night flight out of Aukland headed for Chicago. 2.5 hours into the flight the pilot announced that our radar weather was dead and we had to divert to the nearest airport. The nearest airport was of course Aukland, so it was 2.5 hours back. The rich people in first class were let off first of course, so they got to rebook their flights first, leaving nothing for days for us peasants. Poor us, the airline put us up in the best hotel in downtown Aukland and paid for our meals until a flight was available for us. Poor poor us.
Feathered Dinosaur 11 months ago
Aspirin doesn't prevent venous blood clots, just arterial clots (embolism). You need heparin injections or the newer pills like Xarelto to prevent venous thrombosis
Gourdeous 11 months ago
This ain't true. You don't have different cells or clotting factors dependent on vessel type. In fact, aspirin is recognised as thromboprophylaxis for some types of major orthopaedic surgery in the UK
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#17
Guy next to me smelled like s**t the whole time for 8 hr flight.
Debby Keir 11 months ago
I was on a flight to the statesfrom the UK that had originated in India. Sat next to a very smelly very elderly guy who had come from India. When it came to filling out the immigration forms he indicated he wanted me to fill his out for him - he didn't speak any English, and I didn't speak his language. He kept grabbing my leg (I was in my 60's then but a good 20+ years younger) and yelling at me. I called for the attendant, who informed me that I must fill out my uncle/father's form or I would be in trouble with immigration. I explained that I was totally unrelated to him, but she said 'just try'. Very very unpleasant flight.
Toni B 11 months ago
Debby Keir, Good grief! How could you possibly help him? He needed someone who spoke his language. What happened after you were told to just try?
Load More Replies... Uncle Schmickle 11 months ago
That's outrageous .... and probably illegal to fill in someone else's immigration declaration.
#18
Not me but the guy next to me. I passed the f**k out like two minutes into my flight between Singapore and Tokyo. I woke up with my head resting on his shoulder. I profusely apologized to him and he profusely apologized to me. I tried to buy him a beer but he noped the f**k out first chance he got. Sorry little Japanese dude!
Robin Roper 11 months ago
The Japanese are very polite so he wouldn't have said anything. And, this often happens on their trains with one another - it's really normal. The practice is often called "inemuri" which translates to "sleeping while present."
#19
I fainted on my way back from the bathroom. I have low blood pressure and I think it just dropped. As soon as I was able to lay on my back and elevate my legs the blood came back to my head and I felt alert. Which meant I was acutely aware of the fact that everyone was staring at me. It was so embarrassing. When the flight attendant asked if anyone on board was a doctor an enthusiastic man nearby jumped up and declared, “I can help! I’m a dentist!”
He was very nice and did manage to make my husband feel better while they took my pulse and blood pressure. It was all okay, but just embarrassing.
#20
Business class back from GRU with my ex. Turns out I had a 104 fever and pneumonia. I was literally out of it. But I thought i dreamt that the MMA roided up dude across from me, lost his s**t, rioted on airplane, and caused a big scene.
Turns out he did. The pilot really was standing over me, debating a midair diversion to northern South America while they restrained him forcefully in his seat. Instead police arrived and arrested him on landing in MIA, the plane was taken out of service with a lay flat biz seat ripped in literal half by his bare hands and i got on some extreme d**g cocktails to overcome some Amazonian infection.
I realize said guy could have ripped my head off, and i wouldn't have known...whole flight crew was shocked i didnt wake up during his rampage.
#21
Approx flight times. 6 hours from NYC to LA. Then 12 hours from LA to Sydney. I started to feel sick on the way to the airport. By the time I got on the plane I had a raging fever, deep muscle aches and was freezing cold. Every minute felt like an hour.
Lousha 11 months ago
And I'm sure everyone who they infected on 2 flights and 3 airports, plus transport inbetween was really "happy" did they did not turn back home when they started feeling ill in the first place.
Toni B 11 months ago (edited)
I hear you, but maybe their destination WAS home, and because they weren't feeling well they weren't thinking straight - or had no place to go/no money to go to a hotel room. And if they did have money for a hotel room, they would have infected people there. It sounds like they were in a d*** if you do and d**** if you don't situation.
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Sara Frazer 11 months ago (edited)
Ugh this makes me so mad, and reminds me of the first time my daughter and I were flying down to Louisiana to visit my mom in her new home. It was summer 2021 and covid restrictions were still firmly in place, so we were wearing masks of course. I was in the middle, my daughter was by the window, and to my right there was an older woman who kept coughing and wiping her nose, and would not keep her mask fully on. She just laughed it off and said "oh I'm just getting over a head cold" oooo I should have reported her to the stewardess before we took off because sick people were NOT supposed to be flying. But she was acting like a sweet grandma, leaning into my space for the next 5 hours to talk to my daughter, handing her candy. Well a couple days later in Louisiana I woke up with a raw throat, fever and sinuses all clogged. I cursed that woman for the whole week (tested and at least it wasn't covid)
Cecil 11 months ago
Very few excuses not to bail after first leg. Not fun but I can't imagine continuing to expose hundreds more people for hours
Cecil 11 months ago
Ugh, I just reread it. They knew they were seriously ill when boarding. Extremely selfish behavior.
Load More Replies... #22
I got food poisoning. I was flying from Kuwait to Toronto. As we were landing in Dubai for a lay over I started throwing up. I went straight to the pharmacy in the airport and bought anti diarrhea pills because s******g myself on a flight is my worst nightmare. With about 7 hours left on the flight to Toronto I found myself looking in the mirror in the bathroom giving myself a pep talk. You can do this. You’ll get through it. I had to get up at least 20 times to throw up.
#23
I just came back from Japan. The chic next to me was literally trying to convert me to Christianity on a 14 hr flight.
Robin Roper 11 months ago (edited)
"May I have your name, address, phone and email so I can contact you later?" Gets the info. "Thanks. Now, if you don't stop talking to me about your God, I am going to subscribe you to every magazine, porn service, televangelists, MLM scam, as well as get you on the mailing list of the top worst charities in the country." Then smile.
Chich the witch 11 months ago
If she didn't change the topic after asking her to stop, I would flip my pentacle from under my shirt and expound on the virtues of paganism.
RabidChild 11 months ago
I would have countered with trying to get her to join the Satanic Temple.
Joshua David 11 months ago
How do you know someone is a born again Christian? Don't worry, they'll fúcking tell you!
Michael Largey 11 months ago (edited)
"If your god really is up there in the clouds, point him out to me as we fly by."
#24
Got the stomach flu half way between Paris and Detroit. Detroit was a layover. Still don’t know why they let me get on the next flight, but the flight attendants took care of me like a sick child from Detroit to home. I had called my parents in Detroit and asked them to meet me at security, because even at 25 years old, all I wanted was my mommy. (Really wish my direct flight the day before hadn’t been cancelled! My luggage stayed in Paris an extra week).
Myoviridae 11 months ago
I have had this happen and yes, you really just want your mommy (no matter how old you are). I was fortunate that my seatmate was a nurse, so she was completely unfazed by my symptoms. She just said supportive things, patted me on the shoulder, and didn't care when I puked in the airsick bag.
#25
I got placed on the very last row of the plane. Fine. A girl comes sits down with her Chinese food - it was enough for at least 2 people. She whoofs it all down before the doors close. Fine. She then proceeds to flag the flight attendant and says "I get really bad air sickness can I get some extra puke bags." She made it 30 minutes in. Not fine.
Toni B 11 months ago
That makes zero sense. I sometimes get motion sickness. When I get on a commercial flight, I always have the max dose of motion sickness pills already working on me. And to eat when you know you're going to puke it up?
Debbie 11 months ago
Maybe she used that as an excuse for her eating disorder?
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Lousha 11 months ago
Surprised she wasn't Hungarian. We have this "national tradition" where whatever type of transport we're taking, the sandwiches and fried chicken bits, plastic containers full of stew etc are coming out as soon as **sses touch the seats, and it's like a race to see who can disappear all 9000000 calories worth of food from their bags first, preferably before the bus/train/plain even took off.
Philippa Davies 11 months ago
I get motion sickness so I’m used to vomiting myself sometimes, but whenever I get on a plane, the one thing I am worried about is if anybody else is going to be sick. It turns my stomach.
#26
Many years ago, I was on an international flight that allowed smoking only in the last 2 rows for some reason. I was in 3rd to last row. To make things worse people kept rotating into the smoking seats so there were like 10 people always smoking.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
Smoking on a plane is like smoking at the office. You should have to step outside to do it.
ElfVibratorGlitter 11 months ago
Woah. I wonder what year this was.... Guess I'll have to do some web searching
Multa Nocte 11 months ago (edited)
I believe they still allowed smoking on airlines in the 80's. I'll have to check. (Edited) Just checked: "Smoking on internal flights in the USA was banned in 1988 but smoking on flights inside the EU was not banned until 1997. Most airlines had, by then, already banned smoking but airlines between some nations with high smoking rates continued to allow them."
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#27
Flew right into a bad storm on the way to Taiwan from the USA. I was on a 747 and I’ve never seen the wings of a plane flex so much. Bins were falling open. People were crying, a flight attendant was injured. The engines were absolutely roaring, and we would just drop hundreds of feet at a time. The lighting was intense. I was just trying to pound beer for my nerves, and I could barely do that without spilling it everywhere.
Most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced. This was about 15 years ago. I’ve made those flight once or twice a year since without incident.
Bec 11 months ago (edited)
Sister flew home from LA to the Midwest for Christmas, the last leg was in a small plane from Chicago to St. Louis, which got her within a 2 hour drive of home. She made it for Christmas, but I remember her face being a shade of pale green. The turbulence had been bad, and she still needed to fly back in a few days. She swore to never fly in to Chicago in December again, and didn't come home for Christmas for several years.
#28
YYZ TO LHR this lady and her husband. I have the far aisle seat and her husband has opposite side. One open seat. We had 4 row seats and there was 3 of us. She was on the heavier side and was spilling into my seat. There was literally an open seat this entire 8 hour fight. She decides to sit next to me for 7 and half hours. She was laying on me too like what… such an odd experience you’d rather sit next to a stranger instead of your significant other.
#29
I got stuck next to the toilet on a flight to Kuwait to stage for the war in Iraq. Hundreds of Marines took dumps that night. Hundreds.
#30
I had a migraine on a flight from Dubai to Melbourne. It lasted 10 hours.
Debby Keir 11 months ago (edited)
On a flight to the US when they did an 'is there a doctor on the plane' No one came forward but I mentioned that I was a nurse. Anyway - saw the 'patient' - it wasn't something that they needed to turn around for, but she did need some medication. Obviously I can't prescribe, but knew what was needed. They contacted the flight medical service and I gave my registration and address etc - they said go to 'box 96' in the flight medical pack and give an injection of X. I had to give my registration number and address to make it 'legal'. Once the lady was settled down, I was invited to sit in first class (I'd missed the meal) to have something to eat. They offered wine with the meal, but I felt she might need further treatment so declined. I went back to the family (in steerage) but sure enough, I was called again to someone else. Took and hour to sort that, and then the again to the original lady. They gave me a bottle of champagne and a $500 card towards another flight! I still have it, as I went BA thereafter.
Debbie 11 months ago (edited)
Edit: First, thank your for you help! I'm sure everyone was really happy to have you around. I know I would. But what is BA?
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Toni B 11 months ago
Migraines suck! Mine often last 3 days. I can avert them when I get the first signs (visual disturbances) if I take a double dose of magnesium.
Papa 11 months ago
Hydrocodone works wonders for mine, although I've had some doctors say it's contraindicated for migraines.
Load More Replies... Laura Lawson 11 months ago
Aspirin is my miracle cure & I get violent, vomiting, please just let me die migraines. Try 3 aspirin every 4 hours as soon as you get the first sign. It works better than pethidine for me. And I get migraines on airplanes, too. Something about the air pressure, I think.
Bec 11 months ago
Migraines my whole life, only prescription sumitriptan actually works for me, and usually just abates it for a few hours.
Load More Replies... #31
I was on a 16-hour flight, on my period, and had the middle seat. It was the absolute worst.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 11 months ago
@MindNumbing you do realize that periods aren’t like… a little tickle right? Mine completely wipe me out for 2-3 days and last at least 8.
ElfVibratorGlitter 11 months ago
Why didn't you wait until after the flight to get your period?/s
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Toni B 11 months ago
I take it that MindNumbing is a man. I would expect a woman to understand the context.
Auntriarch 11 months ago
Not necessarily. There are women who drift through periods with very little trouble, and they can be surprisingly unsympathetic. My old doctor for one.
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Bored Potato 11 months ago
Could've sworn I didn't have a reddit account... this literally happened to me 🥲
DramaDoc 11 months ago
The *only* time I've ever asked to switch seats with someone on a flight was because of Aunt Flo. I had a window seat between PDX and AMS and felt so bad for asking the person on the aisle to move like every 20 - 40 min. The FA over heard, and offered to let me switch to an unoccupied middle row (the person I asked also agreed) so I could lay down if it got bad. Heroes, both of them.
#32
My girlfriend threw up in both of our air sickness bags, one bag sprung a leak and I had to catch the vomit coming out as I ran to find a trash can. She then spent the rest of the flight retching in the bathroom and sitting in the flight attendant's seat in the galley. This was an 11 hour flight from London to Los Angeles. It was bad for me, must have been a lot worse for her.
#33
Found out my grandma died RIGHT before my 10 hour international flight took off
Interesting note; my other grandma had died a week earlier. I exited the plane without grandparents.
#34
Emirates A380 from LAX to Dubai. Was in the back, lower level economy section. Something busted loose and was leaking water from the ceiling onto the seats below. Overhead bins were filling up, flight crew was packing towels everywhere, and water (that we hoped was clean) just kept coming. Luckily, my seat was on the edge of the flood zone, so I was only indirectly effected, but it royally sucked for those who were in the splash zone.
Full enough flight that they couldn’t move the people out of the splash zone. Maybe the first class passengers upstairs had to forego their showers on that flight?
#35
I’d take a crying baby for 10 hours over flying 3-4 hours with a sinus infection any ol’ day. It was torture, then I made it forty times worse by taking a Sudafed (the hardcore ones). Then, a couple of hours later, I took another one. So I felt like my ear was going to explode and my heart, too. I’ll never touch Sudafed again. And live in terror of the sinus infection on the plane thing.
Bring on the babies!
Daniel Atkins 11 months ago
Sudafed dosage is two pills every four to six hours so no wonder the Op's heart was going crazy.
Grazina Strolia 11 months ago
Depends on the strength! I'm currently taking a 12-hour dose, which is one pill every 12 hours.
Load More Replies... Upstaged75 11 months ago
A friend of mine ended up permanently deaf in one ear after flying with a sinus infection. Her eardrum ruptured mid-flight. I don't recall all the details, but it was pretty horrific.
Caroline Nagel 11 months ago
Pseudoephedrine is no longer sold over the counter in Belgium, you need a doctor's prescription if you want it.
#37
It was a 15hr flight and I had very bad motion sickness. Was throwing up just by the smell of the food. I just wanted to sleep but a flight attendant thought it would be nice to treat me to some ice cream from business class. I ate it and threw up even more. Worst experience ever.
Lousha 11 months ago
This made me think of the "lovely" time from my uni days when I ended up really drunk. A friend of mine who was a total non-drinker came over to look after me and decided that for a sick person a warm soup is always a great idea, so she made an instant mushroom soup and fed it to me. I was so out of it that I could not think of a way to say no without offending her, so I ate it even though the smell alone was making me sick. Eating it was not better than smelling it. So here's an advice, don't feed someone random stuff who is already throwing up.
#38
8 hours of constant light and moderate turbulence from Keflavik to LAX. I’m deathly terrified of turbulence and was raw dogging the flight on a budget airline.
Not sure if it counts but on a flight from Vegas to Boston a guy died on my flight. People were trying so hard to revive him even though he had been dead for a few hours. We had to divert temporarily to Buffalo which felt like a rollercoaster as we descended at a fast rate and quite the steep angle.
#39
I s**t my pants and the then the service dog sitting next to me wouldn’t leave me alone. No cap.
What do you think ?
The Doom Song 11 months ago
About a month ago, was going from Perth to Melbourne. Half hour into the trip I got a message from WA emergency services. Huge fire near our house and we were instructed to evacuate. Also the kennel our dog was in was super close to the fire and part of the evacuation zone. The most stressful flight I've ever taken in my life
Chich the witch 11 months ago
Night from London to Nairobi. A family was separated by several rows and yelled back and forth to each other. I don't know what language so no idea what it was about. FA finally got them to shut up.
Weasel Wise 11 months ago (edited)
Oh! I have a few good ones: flying home (US) from Ecuador this year and we had to go through Hurricane Beryl...I didn't like that very much. 2021: heading to Vietnam and this poor couple had a baby that would cry approximately 20 minutes of every hour, for 14 hours. Rather than stay seated and sooth their baby, they walked up and down all the aisles so that everyone got to enjoy their misery too. 2010: Barcelona to SFO, the lady behind me waits until we're well over the Atlantic before she calls a FA to say she doesn't feel well cuz she has a full blown case of malaria. I know it's not contagious but wtf lady?! 2012: China to US, 16 hour flight. The man behind me in customs STANK, like something was rotten. And, of course, his seat was in the row in front of mine. Midflight he decides he needs the restroom and is gone for at least 20 minutes. Upon his return, the stank trailed him, it grew worse, and it didn't go away the rest of the flight. It smelled like he had digested old diapers full of fishy poop. Eight hours of eye-watering stank. 🤢 Worst of all, 2015: Newark Airport, New Jersey. That's all. If you've been through, you understand.
Sophia Athene 11 months ago
I love your vibrant description of the stank. I don't want to smell it but I can imagine it against my will.
Load More Replies... ElfVibratorGlitter 11 months ago
I've had some rough flights but the worst smelling was flying back from Jamaica to BWI, like an hour into the flight the toilet jammed. Must have tried to flush something and then someone pooped on that mess. And then tried to flush and the whole plane started to smell. Fortunately they diverted into Florida so we could all get onto a different plan with a functioning toilet, but that was some stink. :)
Melissa Harris 11 months ago (edited)
As a teen I got severe heatstroke the day before my siblings and I were due to fly home from our summer trip visiting our dad. We were flying from Saskatoon (dad's) to Toronto then switching to a small prop plane for a hop to Sault St.Marie to attend our grandmother's 80th birthday party. My younger sister and brother had gotten heat stroke earlier that week and were feeling better but I didn't start to feel unwell until the night before. I vomited several times, into several airsickness bags, and was so unwell I was nearly incoherent. The flight crew was very helpful and took care of me as best they could. They called my mom when we changed planes in Toronto and told her I was sick and asked If they still wanted me to continue on. Aprently she didn't understand how bad it was (to this day she says she thought I was airsick) and she was already up north so there was no one that could come get me at all. I don't remember the rest because I was delirious and near unconscious by the time we landed in the Soo. I was told afterwards my mom and grandma nearly took me to the hospital. They apparently put me in a cold bath until my temperature went down then put me to bed. I slept for near two days and missed the huge party that was for my grandmother's birthday. Apparently, my mom called my dad and lite into him like a banshee. He'd moved to a place with A/C by the next time we visited him.
Doodles1983 11 months ago
Spent one airport wait, literally struck with diarrhoea. Continued to the plane. Another, spent the whole flight, unwittingly "getting to know" a couple next to me... I was flying alone. Did not recognise her as my step-brothers ex wife. Post divorce make-over. She never once corrected me.
CalamityOne 11 months ago
Flight from SF > SeaTac > London U.K. (don't remember the airport) - severe airsickness 11+ hours. My fellow passengers were passing new sick bags to me from all parts of the airplane... Fortunately I had a window seat, so I was able to curl up against the wall and eventually pass out, but did have to wade through all the bags I used and set on the floor when we finally landed and deplaned. Did not envy the cleanup crew, lol
The Doom Song 11 months ago
About a month ago, was going from Perth to Melbourne. Half hour into the trip I got a message from WA emergency services. Huge fire near our house and we were instructed to evacuate. Also the kennel our dog was in was super close to the fire and part of the evacuation zone. The most stressful flight I've ever taken in my life
Chich the witch 11 months ago
Night from London to Nairobi. A family was separated by several rows and yelled back and forth to each other. I don't know what language so no idea what it was about. FA finally got them to shut up.
Weasel Wise 11 months ago (edited)
Oh! I have a few good ones: flying home (US) from Ecuador this year and we had to go through Hurricane Beryl...I didn't like that very much. 2021: heading to Vietnam and this poor couple had a baby that would cry approximately 20 minutes of every hour, for 14 hours. Rather than stay seated and sooth their baby, they walked up and down all the aisles so that everyone got to enjoy their misery too. 2010: Barcelona to SFO, the lady behind me waits until we're well over the Atlantic before she calls a FA to say she doesn't feel well cuz she has a full blown case of malaria. I know it's not contagious but wtf lady?! 2012: China to US, 16 hour flight. The man behind me in customs STANK, like something was rotten. And, of course, his seat was in the row in front of mine. Midflight he decides he needs the restroom and is gone for at least 20 minutes. Upon his return, the stank trailed him, it grew worse, and it didn't go away the rest of the flight. It smelled like he had digested old diapers full of fishy poop. Eight hours of eye-watering stank. 🤢 Worst of all, 2015: Newark Airport, New Jersey. That's all. If you've been through, you understand.
Sophia Athene 11 months ago
I love your vibrant description of the stank. I don't want to smell it but I can imagine it against my will.
Load More Replies... ElfVibratorGlitter 11 months ago
I've had some rough flights but the worst smelling was flying back from Jamaica to BWI, like an hour into the flight the toilet jammed. Must have tried to flush something and then someone pooped on that mess. And then tried to flush and the whole plane started to smell. Fortunately they diverted into Florida so we could all get onto a different plan with a functioning toilet, but that was some stink. :)
Melissa Harris 11 months ago (edited)
As a teen I got severe heatstroke the day before my siblings and I were due to fly home from our summer trip visiting our dad. We were flying from Saskatoon (dad's) to Toronto then switching to a small prop plane for a hop to Sault St.Marie to attend our grandmother's 80th birthday party. My younger sister and brother had gotten heat stroke earlier that week and were feeling better but I didn't start to feel unwell until the night before. I vomited several times, into several airsickness bags, and was so unwell I was nearly incoherent. The flight crew was very helpful and took care of me as best they could. They called my mom when we changed planes in Toronto and told her I was sick and asked If they still wanted me to continue on. Aprently she didn't understand how bad it was (to this day she says she thought I was airsick) and she was already up north so there was no one that could come get me at all. I don't remember the rest because I was delirious and near unconscious by the time we landed in the Soo. I was told afterwards my mom and grandma nearly took me to the hospital. They apparently put me in a cold bath until my temperature went down then put me to bed. I slept for near two days and missed the huge party that was for my grandmother's birthday. Apparently, my mom called my dad and lite into him like a banshee. He'd moved to a place with A/C by the next time we visited him.
Doodles1983 11 months ago
Spent one airport wait, literally struck with diarrhoea. Continued to the plane. Another, spent the whole flight, unwittingly "getting to know" a couple next to me... I was flying alone. Did not recognise her as my step-brothers ex wife. Post divorce make-over. She never once corrected me.
CalamityOne 11 months ago
Flight from SF > SeaTac > London U.K. (don't remember the airport) - severe airsickness 11+ hours. My fellow passengers were passing new sick bags to me from all parts of the airplane... Fortunately I had a window seat, so I was able to curl up against the wall and eventually pass out, but did have to wade through all the bags I used and set on the floor when we finally landed and deplaned. Did not envy the cleanup crew, lol
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