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
#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.
She sent me the nicest thank you card and a pair of nicer sweats in the same color and size I gave her.
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79points
#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.
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.
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60points
#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.
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46points
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.
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46points
#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.
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46points
#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.
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40points
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.
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38points
#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.
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36points
#9
Parent of child who screamed whole flight. Believe me. Nobody wanted to open the door more than the parents.
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34points
"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.
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.
33points
#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.
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.
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33points
#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.
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.
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31points
"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.
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.
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30points
#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.
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29points
#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.
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29points
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.
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.
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28points
#17
Guy next to me smelled like s**t the whole time for 8 hr flight.
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27points
#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!
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27points
#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.
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.
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26points
#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.
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.
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26points