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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
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#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 4 days 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.
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#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 4 days ago
Satan's firehose. 🤣🤣🤣 Learning so many great terms this morning.
#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.
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
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.
#5
A kidney stone decided to pass on my flight from Seattle to Tokyo. IYKYK.
#6
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 4 days ago
This is so creepy. And OP just pretended like nothing happened, which honestly is what I would have done years ago. Just icky.
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
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.
#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.
#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
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 1 day 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.
#11
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.
#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.
"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.
#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.
#15
Guy next to me smelled like s**t the whole time for 8 hr flight.
Debby Keir 4 days 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.
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 2 days 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.
#17
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.
#18
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.
#19
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!
#20
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.
#21
I just came back from Japan. The chic next to me was literally trying to convert me to Christianity on a 14 hr flight.
MindNumbinglyBoringJob 4 days ago
NO., I would politely ask her to stop. That is beyond torture.
#22
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.
#23
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.
#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).
#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.
#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.
#27
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.
#28
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 2 days 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.
#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 4 days 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.
#31
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.
#32
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.
#33
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 4 days 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.
#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 4 days ago
Sudafed dosage is two pills every four to six hours so no wonder the Op's heart was going crazy.
#37
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.
#38
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 4 days 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.
#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 3 days 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 4 days 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.
The Doom Song 3 days 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 4 days 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.
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