Long-Haul Flights That Ranged From Hilarious To Horrifying – Real Stories That Reveal The Dangers Of Flying
Even at the best of times, flights can be stressful, uncomfortable ordeals. That said, we all know that some go a whole lot worse than others. Some are tense and turbulent enough to be white-knuckle experiences on their own, while others are ruined by people's fellow passengers.
Since it's such a large platform, there are people on Reddit who have experienced the worst of these high-altitude misadventures and today, they're all sharing their hilarious, horrifying, and cringe-inducing stories. Consider the seat belt sign turned on.
Congratulations, You Played Yourself
For the most part, people who access in-flight entertainment will gravitate toward something they genuinely think they'll like. However, it seems that Reddit user scottyrobotty thought it was an opportunity to satisfy their curiosity about the infamously terrible 2009 movie Dragonball: Evolution.
However, it seems that it wasn't long before they saw a clear and worrying reason to regret that decision. Not only was the movie as bad as they heard, but they were its captive audience. As they said, "It malfunctioned and I couldn't get it to turn off."
A Surprisingly Heartwarming Story About Feces
As Reddit user Spiritual_One6619 explained, she was sitting beside a young woman with a clear fear of flying who decided to deal with this anxiety by getting intoxicated. However, that 12-hour flight was about to get so much more unpleasant for both of them, as she apparently experienced a severe diarrhea bout while she was passed out.
The flight attendant spent about 15 minutes trying to wake the woman up, but the Redditor saved her day as well. As she explained, " 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." This was so she could send a lovely thank you note and some replacement pants. Aww.
The Worst Place For The Roughest Thing To Happen
When they're passing out drinks or giving pre-flight instructions, it's easy to forget that flight attendants have to be prepared for the worst to happen on a tightly enclosed space that nobody can leave. And while Reddit user Soft-Koala-9188 didn't elaborate on their story, what they did say was enough to qualify their situation as "the worst."
As they put it, "A kidney stone decided to pass on my flight from Seattle to Tokyo." That's a long flight that no doubt felt even longer for this poor soul, the flight attendants, and anyone else who heard their pained screaming.
When The Going Gets Tough, The Disgusting Isn't So Bad
If someone were to conduct a Family Feud-style survey of 100 people and asked where they'd least like to lay down, it's easy to imagine that the floor of a public restroom would rank pretty high on that list. However, it seems that Reddit user Asleep-Walrus-3778 had such a rough time on one flight that it almost looked inviting.
In their words, "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 Last Thing Anybody Wanted To See
After Reddit user PeruvianNecktie11 visited a friend on America's east coast, they boarded a 12-hour flight from Atlanta, Georgia, back home to Honolulu, Hawaii. However, this flight would feel much longer due to the unfortunate circumstances of being sat beside an unpleasant passenger.
As the Redditor told it, an older adult next to him had a bad cold and found a sickening way to deal with it. In their words, "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."
The Most Unfortunate Seat In The House
It's generally considered a rookie mistake to get a seat near an airplane's bathroom, as the smell and constant disturbances tend to outweigh the convenience of its location. However, those in the service who board military planes don't really get a choice in where they're sitting.
For that reason, one marine who goes by getoffthegass on Reddit had a miserable time by the bathroom on a flight to Kuwait during the Iraq War. As he put it, "Hundreds of marines took dumps that night. Hundreds."
The Most Annoying Passenger
While Reddit user martlet1 was flying to France from Chicago, they had the misfortune of sitting beside someone who seemed determined to be the world's most annoying passenger. Not only did he keep his light on the whole time and constantly talk to the flight attendants, but also constantly got out of his seat to rummage around in his loud, distracting bag.
Worse yet, he actually stood on the armrest each time he did this and oddly stirred his belongings until he found what he wanted. As they further explained, "At the airport he ran off the plane. Apparently he was some kind of safety speaker for the airline. I hate him."
It's Like A Scene Out Of Planes, Trains And Automobiles
Even before Reddit user fugs8 boarded their fateful flight, they were feeling down due to a recent breakup. However, that feeling only worsened when the realized they were surrounded by a family and were the only non-member of it. This meant that people were constantly leaning on them to talk to each other and pass each other things, and that wasn't the only frustrating part of the experience.
As they said, "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."
Deep Vein Thrombosis Is No Joke
Contrary to many of these stories, Reddit user Puukkot would describe their flight from Auckland, New Zealand to San Francisco as a chill and pleasant experience. Unfortunately, it seems the flight managed to be a little too relaxing in their case.
As they put it, "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." That turned their post into a important public service announcement to keep moving and stay hydrated on airplanes.
A Nightmare Scenario Thanks To One Creepy Passenger
Although most passengers are keen to keep to themselves and some are even friendly, it's also true that some will be inconsiderate at best and outright criminal at worst. Unfortunately, Reddit user lightharte was unfortunate enough to sit beside someone who tried to take advantage of her.
On her words, "I had a guy try to cuddle with me repeatedly. I decided to stand up for myself and the stewardesses got all my stuffs picked up and brought over to me (further back of the plane, full flight). Where I moved to were two ladies, they were petrified and made me feel so much better." Apparently, he crossed some other serious boundaries, which led to his arrest.
Shockingly, The Illness Was The Easy Part
While flying out of São Paulo, Brazil, Reddit user imapilotaz was unfortunate enough to be dealing with a 104-degree fever and a serious case of pneumonia. Since this was a debilitating and severe illness, they weren't lucid and said they dreamed that this MMA fighter had started a full-scale rampage on the plane.
However, it seems they were more lucid than they thought because that was exactly what was happening around them. As they put it, "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."
A Less Than Perfect Solution To An Awkward Problem
While on a seven-hour flight, Reddit user timhamilton47 found himself in a predicament where he was seated next to a 400-pund man he couldn't move away from because the flight was sold out. He wasn't angry at the man, who was apologetic, but rather the fact that the flight attendants made him sit at a strange and uncomfortable S-shaped angle the whole time.
In his words, "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"
The Parents Weren't Any Happier About It
When someone's about to board a flight, one of the most common answers for the passenger they'd least like to sit next to is a crying baby. Indeed, it's hard to blame the baby in these situations, as they're not used to cabin pressure and the first thing babies do when they're not used to something is cry.
Yet, as Reddit user greenweenievictim said about their experience, that doesn't make it any easier for those stuck next to the little one during this expression of frustration, and that includes the parents. As they wrote, "Parent of child who screamed whole flight. Believe me. Nobody wanted to open the door more than the parents."
What On Earth Was Her Problem?
As unpleasant passengers go, Reddit user belongstomin met a rare specimen while on a flight to Hong Kong. Although she started by staring at them and worrying about their phone causing the plane to crash (it was on airplane mode,) it was clear this would be a unique experience after she got up while the plane was taking off.
However, nobody could have prepared anyone for what happened next. As the Redditor recalled, "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."
Not Everyone Is Nostalgic For The Old Days
While airplanes universally prohibit smoking on-board nowadays, that wasn't always the case. As Reddit user lexluthor5 explained, they recalled an awkward transitory period many years ago where their international flight had a rule in place that the last two rows of the plane were the smoking section.
As they said, "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." When the air is blue with other people's smoke, that's a rough situation.
As If Normal Turbulence Wasn't Bad Enough
The fastest way for people to feel nervous or uncomfortable on a flight is to add a little turbulence to the equation. However, it's fair to say that the rough flight Reddit user atrain01theboys was unlucky enough to have far more than a little turbulence.
As they put it, "Severe turbulence that caused a flight attendant to break her ankle." While something like that can happen at any time, it's hard to even imagine a worse possible time to experience that kind of workplace injury.
A Rough Situation Even At The Best Of Times
While on a flight from Kuwait to Toronto, Canada, Reddit user Ok-Dragonfruit-6207 came down with a case of food poisoning that made them start throwing up while landing for a layover in Dubai. Although they were able to prevent it from coming out of both ends with a trip to an airport pharmacy, that didn't mean their ordeal was over.
As they said, "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."
That Wasn't What Her Soul Was Looking For
As Reddit user cajunmoon77 explained, she had just returned on a flight from Japan that was ruined by the woman next to her. That's because she spent a significant portion of what amounted to a 14-hour flight trying to convert her to Christianity.
As the Redditor explained, the woman started off by appearing genuinely interested in her differing belief but wasn't as subtle as she hoped when it came to her ultimate intentions. Regardless of what you believe, nobody wants to spend 14 hours in that situation, especially with someone talking to you in a patronizing tone like you're a child.
One Baby Was Loud Enough To Annoy The Other Babies
Although Reddit user cakeit-tilyoumakeit was understandably nervous about her first long-haul flight with her two young children, she was pleased to discover that even her 10-month-old was perfectly well-behaved and keen to sleep for most of the flight.
As she explained, however, there was another baby who made that more difficult than the family expected. In her words, "Not only did he cry the whole time, but his cry was very unique. Like a hoarse screeching sound, unlike anything I've heard from a baby before lol. And his crying kept waking up my child, so every hour or so I’d have to rock her back to sleep."
No Wonder Flights Are Often Delayed So Much
As Reddit user pnwtnl told it, she was already in for a stressful flight as she and her toddler were embarking on it alone while she was 30 weeks pregnant. Surprisingly, most of the flight went well, but it slowly turned bad when they approached Tampa, as there was a heavy storm and they had to circle around while it passed.
Unfortunately, that took longer than expected and they had to refuel in Orlando at the same time every other plane bound for Tampa had the same idea. As she put it, "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."
Well, That Wasn't Supposed To Happen
While on a flight to Dubai, Reddit user CultSurvivor3 witnessed a malfunction that caused the plane to flood. So much water leaked from the ceiling that overhead bins were filling and flight attendants covered the aisles in towels, but the Redditor was lucky enough to be out of the most severely impacted area.
As they said, "It royally sucked for those who were in the splash zone." Since the flight was full, they also found they couldn't be moved out of it no matter how much water kept coming.
How Much Mango Nectar Do They Think People Need?
While on a 32-hour journey that included a flight from Mumbai, India to Hong Kong, Reddit user Ouroborus13 understandably needed some rest. However, it seemed that everyone else on the flight was determined to ensure she didn't sleep a wink.
As she elaborated, "Like, people playing music on their phones loudly, nonstop getting up and down from seats, etc. Then there was the mango nectar. I swear to god, every 15-20 minutes a flight attendant would come down the aisle, jostle me awake, and say 'mango nectar?' I'd take the carton of mango nectar and try to go back to sleep for it to happen again."
There's A Clear Relationship Of Cause And Effect Here
As Reddit user nooneneededtoknow chronicled, there were a lot of little annoyances in their flight that added up to one big issue when they all snowballed together. And the worst of it all started with one very ill-advised decision.
As they worded their story, "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."
It's Like A Gross-Out Comedy Came To Life
While Reddit user zippy_tippy was flying to the United States from an unspecified part of Europe, they soon discovered that they were sharing economy class with an entire cheerleading team. The problem wasn't that they were obnoxious but that they all apparently ate at the same unsanitary place.
That's because the whole team came down with food poisoning at the same time. All the Redditor had to say about that was, "Vomit everywhere." Let's just be glad that we don't know what it was like to smell that.
She Just Couldn't Take The Hint
After a long day, Reddit user peachyfuzzle was about to board their first international flight, a prospect that terrified them because flying generally gave them anxiety. For that reason, they had prepared to sleep through the flight with the aid of some medication.
Unfortunately, one older woman on the flight made that impossible because she kept the Redditor awake by constantly engaging them in conversation they're too exhausted to remember. Although the woman was nice, she was also clueless. As peachyfuzzle wrote, "She actually commented on how it was such a nice flight when we landed"
It Just Didn't Pay To Get Out Of Bed That Day
Although it's the most normal thing in the world to want to stretch your legs on a long flight, that simple act started an unfortunate chain of events for Reddit user dragonflytattoogurl. Not only did she get a leg cramp by doing that, but walking it off on a trip to the bathroom didn't work and she sat in the wrong seat when she got back.
As she said, "Soon I realized I was at the front of the plane, then the anxiety hit, I started to get lightheaded, things went gray and fuzzy, I turned around and passed out in the aisle hitting the seats on my way down." That's how she got off the plane with multiple face bruises.
How Do People Go Through Life With So Little Shame?
For most of the flight, Reddit user GreasyBlackbird's journey from San Jose, Costa Rica to New York City went fine. However, a very strange problem suddenly occurred for them when another passenger opened the overhead bin above them and covered them in sand.
If that doesn't sound bad in and of itself, the Redditor added, "I got COVERED in sand and it got in my eyes and almost screamed. He said 'it's just sand.' No apology. Took a few minutes to get out of my eyes." Maybe if someone rubbed some in his eyes, that guy would understand the problem.
It Doesn't Get More Nightmarish Than This
About 15 years ago, Reddit user Tcchung11 experienced the most terrifying flight of their life as they travelled from the United States to Taiwan. That was because the plane flew right through a storm with harrowing results.
As the user wrote to set the scene, "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."
She Was Mad At Someone But Not A Fellow Passenger
When Reddit user SpatchcockZucchini was a teenager, she embarked on a flight from Los Angeles to Baltimore with strep throat. Given her illness, she doesn't remember much about the flight but recalls that there was a layover at some point. As one might expect, getting on the plane wasn't her choice.
As she explained, "Dad put me on a flight home to my mother when I had strep instead of literally doing anything else. I was visiting, so the return flight was already scheduled, it just didn't occur to him that changing his kid's flight to get her healthier was a better solution" Apparently, he couldn't figure out why she didn't visit him for years.
Sometimes, It's Not The Flight That's The Problem
As Reddit user doxieturtle explained, she and her father embarked on a pretty short flight from Indianapolis to Denver and in a vacuum, the flight itself was fairly uneventful. No annoying fellow passengers, no frightening mechanical failures, and no sudden gastrointestinal issues.
Instead, it was her worst flight due to what she realized about her father while they were flying together. As she explained, "It was a flight from Indy to Denver with my dad, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and that trip is when I realized he had progressed much further than we had previously realized."
