Fliers have been telling their tales of flight woe on a new internet thread and they are truly stomach-churning - and sweaty-palm inducing. Photo / 123RF
Fliers have been telling their tales of flight woe on a new internet thread and they are truly stomach-churning - and sweaty-palm inducing. Photo / 123RF
If you thought that the time you accidentally got the beef instead of the chicken you ordered on a flight constituted a "bad experience", think again.
Fliers have been telling their tales of flight woe on a new internet thread and they are truly stomach-churning - and sweaty-palm inducing.
Fromgetting covered in baby diarrhoea to seeing a stewardess praying during an depressurisation event, these yarns will definitely put things in perspective.
They emerged in response to the following question being posted to Reddit: "What was the worst flight experience you ever had?"
And passengers were quick to respond, including 'EightiesMade' who ended up sitting next to a mother and a sick baby on a flight from Phoenix to Orlando.
He explained: "After the captain turned off the seat belt light, the lady behind me changed her baby's VERY liquid diarrhoea diaper on the seat next to her.
"Instead of calling the flight attendant for a bag or depositing the used diaper in the bathroom trash, she folds it up and stuffs it between my seat and the window. UPSIDE DOWN!
"I was off in my happy little world listening to music and reading. I didn't notice the diaper until I felt something move on my arm. I looked to see what it was and found Army green s*** all over my arm, jeans, and the right side of my torso."
'Makerbot2000' had a similar experience on a flight between Phoenix and New York City.
He said: "A guy gets on with his wife, who takes the middle seat next to me.
"At mealtime, they take out their own meals of rice and beans packed in Tupperware. Flight goes along uneventfully until we are about to land and hit a major storm.
"We circle and circle the airport and some serious turbulence jolts the woman. She turns suddenly and throws up all over me and the back of my seat. I am coated in half digested beans and the rice is sticking everywhere."
Another user, 'cvvgghvggsssvvg', had a similar experience, explaining: "Once on Air France I opened my blanket and it was covered in dried puke."
While 'eptx10' said: "Three hour flight from Mexico. I was sitting with my mom and she had been feeling sick before we even boarded the flight. My mom gives me this "oh f***" look and signals to get her her purse.
"I was just about to stand up and ask for a bag for her to vomit in, when the lady on the intercom says 'we're preparing to land, stay in your seats'. She ends up throwing up on herself and her purse. I'm just looking at her sitting still not knowing what to do."
And 'whatsamood' revealed the time he was travelling to New York and ended up coated in a vinegar-smelling liquid.
He explained: "Something was dripping on me the whole time and it wasn't water. It smelled like vinegar but they said it was something from the first aid kit.
"There were no other seats available so they tried to tape a plastic bag over it but didn't have any duct tape so it kept falling off. I smelled like vinegar when I got to New York."
Meanwhile other airline passengers shared experiences where they were faced with emergency situations.
One passenger revealed how he ended up covered in vomit after his seat mate threw up when they hit turbulence. Photo / 123RF
One forum member, 'billbapapa', said: "On one I thought I was going to die because the cabin lost air pressure and we were told to put on the masks if they dropped, and otherwise to please remain seated.
"We were told nothing more, and the flight attendant was strapped into her seat at the front of the plane and praying.
While 'jakeanstey' experienced severe turbulence while flying into Toronto Pearson a few years ago.
He wrote: "It was super windy and we were dealing with turbulence for most of the trip which was fine, but when we got into City limits, it got way worse.
"I remember right before it happened, an old lady went to the washroom in the centre of the plane, and that's when the craziness started. We got tossed all over the place, and as the attendants were doing garbage pickup, the lady attempted to climb out of the washroom but fell to the floor.
"Her husband got out of his seat to try and help her but he fell too. Then the attendants came to the rescue, and that's when we lost a couple feet of altitude real quick and they all got tossed up in the air.
"For a few minutes it was calmer, and the old couple were safely back in their seats with some help, but then the captain announced "brace for impact". My heart sunk and people went nuts.
"Obviously I knew we wouldn't crash but the impact on the runway itself was going to be rough. Turned out to be one of the smoothest landings I've experienced, but not the best flight."
Another user, 'bulls***free', said: "Years ago we were landing at SFO in San Francisco and the plane suddenly did a very rapid steep climb.
The flight attendants looked scared and told us we could get more information after we disembarked. Pretty sure that was a near miss."
For 'musicjunkkiiie' overshooting the runway on a flight to San Diego was an experience they will never forget.
They shared: "Everyone on the plane freaked out because we had to circle back over the ocean. My little brother started reciting the flight attendant safety speech, saying we could use our seat cushions as a flotation device, then elderly women start screaming 'we are going down!'
"All of this is followed by two older men grabbing the stewardess saying they needed drinks. To top it all off another little boy on the flight pulled out some cap guns that somehow cleared security..."
For nervous flyers such as user "justaddchocolate" every flight is a bad experience. So for her, when a seat companion on one flight began talking about "being at peace" during turbulence - and adding that her relatives had died in a plane crash - the situation was unbearable.
She explained: "I'm a horribly nervous flyer and once sat next to another nervous flyer. Only, when we hit horrible turbulence, she starts talking about how she's lived a long life and is at peace. I'm thinking, 'Well, I haven't lived a long life yet!!'
"She then mentions that her nephew and brother died in a plane crash! So I'm just like, this is perfect, the angel of death boarded with us! Didn't calm my nerves at all. I dunno, I'm basically agnostic, but my prayer life goes through the roof when I fly."
Another passenger said she saw passengers blocking paramedics who had boarded to tend to a man who'd had a seizure. Photo / 123RF
However, for 'SheLikesTheWeird', she says she "lost her faith in humanity" when a passenger fell ill on one flight she took.
She explained: "Guy across the row from me had a seizure. Very scary but not the worst part.
"Flight attendants took good care of him until the end of the flight, when the paramedics were going to come aboard, one of the flight attendants asked over the intercom for everyone to remain seated until the patient was off the plane.
"The seatbelt sign went off and everyone around him starting getting up and grabbing their bags from the overhead lockers.
"Flight attendant had to shout over the intercom for everyone to sit back down until the patient was off the plane.
"Couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. Lost faith in humanity that day. Haven't got it back since."
But for 'DarkOmen597', his worst flight was more a case of missing an experience than having a bad one.
