Comments on: Your Best Worst-Airline-Passenger Stories

By: Id

Id — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:13:15 +0000

worst flight but fabulous since we survived: flying from the caucus region of russia/georgia up to moscow. it started in a scary airport that is really just a big warehouse. everyone in russia seems to dress up just to go to the airport, and by dress up i mean put on hooker clothes. it gave us something to laugh at while waiting for our flight.

then we were told to head out onto the tarmac and the plane was pointed out. someone may as well have said “this is the last thing smoking out of saigon” because everyone started running for the plane. you really felt like if you didnt get up towards the front of the line you would get left on the tarmac or have to cling to one of the wheels just to leave the region.

the flight started fine, but the weather turned by the time we got near moscow. we think air traffic control forgot our plane was up there, because we circled at least ten times in tight circles. in a commercial jet. with a pilot who must have been a former mig fighter pilot, because he started banking the turns.

we all lived, and then my friend and i survived the drive across moscow to the main train station to catch the trans-siberian. thank goodness, because i don’t know i could have handled another flight right then!

as for four, am i the only one that watches eureka?

By: VScott

VScott — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:05:57 +0000

Please David and Emily, not on Mentalfloss…this place is a haven from the bickering chat pages almost every where else on the web. Don’t be angry at each other or I will cry! A bit of hyperbole there but …

3. Love some of the suggestions ie. Bill Nye, Stephen Fry, Ben Bailey (sp?), even Bob Harris of whom I have not heard but sounds fascinating. The best would be Ben Stein. Someone with a lot of experience is always fun.

By: David

David — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 10:53:15 +0000

Emily did you hate to say it because you hate being wrong?

By: Julia

Julia — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:21:00 +0000

3. I’d have to go with John Hodgman or Ira Flato.

By: Sarah in CA

Sarah in CA — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:29:58 +0000

#1:

My son is probably a worse-flight story for the person in front of him on a flight from San Jose to Phoenix for Thanksgiving about four years ago.

My son was 2 1/2 at the time and I was trying to get him to keep his feet off the chair in front of him but he had no toys or books or anything for me to use as collateral for a threat so I really had no power. I tried really hard to get him to stop and I’m sure the whole plane knew his name by the time landed!!

I don’t remember what the guy said toward the end of the flight but it was really rude and I wanted to tell him, “For you this was a bad flight… but this is MY LIFE!!!!”

#4:

NCIS… even though I don’t watch it when it airs, I watch it in reruns on USA or OnDemand when I have time.

By: joe

joe — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:04:29 +0000

I was on an Asiana Airline flying to Thailand. It was a pretty nice flight, after the attendants had asked us what we wanted for dinner. However, this couple in the middle isle had a baby. They decide that it would be easier to change the baby in the space in front of them rather than taking the baby to the bathroom. After the lovely aroma had filled the air, with impeccable timing, the attendants brought out all our food.

By: Wicked Wanda

Wicked Wanda — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:49:30 +0000

1) On a military flight from Germany to England. Mostly military personnel with some dependents/family members also travelling. Once we get in the air the crew starts to do beverage service, starting at the rear of the plane. This woman sitting at the front of the plane DEMANDS to be served first. Her husband was Colonel So-and-So and she was loud & beligerent & belitting. She kept mentioning that she was Mrs. Colonel, etc… So the crew, to keep the peace, agreed to serve her coffee first, before everyone else. Well,we hit a pocket of turbulence & Mrs. Colonel’s coffee went straight up into the air & straight down all over Mrs. Colonel. You can imagine the reaction of the entire plane – lots of laughing & giggling and the flight crew struggling to keep a straight face.
2) I am so sick of adding \gate\ to denote a scandal. eg. Strippergate, Contra-gate, Trooper-gate.
3) Penn Gillette or Christopher Guest.
4) How I Met Your Mother

By: James

James — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:26:58 +0000

I recently flew from Mesa AZ to Peoria IL on a regional carrier. While going over the preflight instructions (you know..how to use your seatbelt, where the exits are, etc) the guy behind me piped in with the following quote that got me laughing..
“If we hit a body of water large enough for me to have to use my seat as a flotation device between Arizona and Illinois…I like my chances of surviving this things!”…just made me laugh!!

By: Case

Case — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:02:05 +0000

1. It’s not a worst airline story, but actually a best passenger. My mom and little brother (who was 3 at the time) were flying from Las Vegas to Atlanta on standby. So they get to the front desk to check in, and are told that there’s a flight for them, but it’s on the complete opposite side of the airport, and it’s leaving in 20 minutes. So they book it over there (keep in mind my brother was too heavy to carry, but didn’t move very fast), and make it on the flight. It was a cheapy, tiny airplane, etc, and they got the last two seats in the back. They’re exhausted, it’s late at night, and the flight is super cramped.

Then the young woman sitting in the next seat turns to my mom and goes, oh, I’m a kindergarten teacher! And then turns to my brother and goes, how old are you? What’s in your bag? And proceeds to play with him and entertain him the entire flight. When the flight lands, the woman goes, oh, I’m meeting my brother here. He’s Prince Charming at Disney World. So my brother got to meet Prince Charming and play with a kindergarten teacher.

My personal airline passenger experiences have all been boring. I’ve never really chatted with anyone. But once when flying as a minor, the flight attendant gave me leftover ice cream from first class.

By: Lori

Lori — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:47:13 +0000

1. When I was 14 or 15, I was flying from Charleston, SC to Pittsburgh by myself. Coming into the ‘Burgh, we hit a whiff of turbulence that soon turned into roller coaster rolls of turbulence. It started in the rows about 5 ahead of me . . . the wave. Some of the teenagers at the front of the plane started throwing their hands in the air and yelling “woooo!” when we dipped, as people do at the ballparks. This caught on quickly.

A good experience (that I only just now remembered thanks to this post), I was 13 again flying back from Charleston. I had said good-bye to my dad at the airport and this was somewhat tearful for me. First to board the plane, I opened my purse to find a card from my dad telling me he love me. I started crying, silently no boo-hooing or anything. This male attendant walked past and saw me. He smiled and said, “Those glasses look really pretty on you. Let me know if you need anything.” I was able to feel good the rest of the flight.

2. every movie being the funniest, most anticipated, most terrifying, most epic, greatest thing ever

3. John Cleese, or heck, I would gladly read any musings from a Python

4. Lost, Chuck, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.