15+ Flights Where Turbulence Was the Easiest Part to Handle

Air travel should be synonymous with comfort and the illusion of arriving at your destination relaxed, with free snacks thrown in if you’re lucky. However, sometimes an ordinary flight can turn into a bizarre experience, making you wonder if it would have been better to miss the plane. In honor of those passengers who haven’t had the best experiences while flying, we’ve compiled more than 15 stories that prove the real drama isn’t always in the novel you brought to read but rather in Row 14, Seat B. Get your seatbelt ready; these stories have it all.

“Someone dared to put their foot on my armrest during a flight.”

• About six years ago, I was sitting on a plane when I suddenly felt a tickle in my throat. It wouldn’t go away. I’d cough and cough and cough; nothing would help.
  The only thing that helped was ice chips. Even then, I couldn’t stop coughing. It was miserable.
  That night, I woke up with two swollen eyes, swollen lips, hives all over my body, hot joints, and a tight chest. I was having a severe allergic reaction to something. This meant that my throat was closing on the plane, but I didn’t realize it.
  Of course, the ice chips helped because they kept the swelling down. It’s strange because that has never happened before or since, and I’m not allergic to anything that I know of. © Unknown author / Reddit

“On my nine-hour flight, this guy plugged these bad boys in as soon as the lights were turned off (11:30 p.m.).”

• Fifteen years ago, I was on a nighttime flight. Suddenly, the cabin lights turned on full blast, and the captain announced: “You may smell a noxious odor. We have an electrical fire on board and cannot be sure how quickly it might spread. We are diverting to the nearest airport and will execute an emergency landing in 15 minutes. Please give your attention to the flight attendants as they instruct you in the proper procedure for a crash landing.”
  I would have thought there would be hysteria, but everyone became quiet. I had my eleven-month-old with me and was advised to hold him in my arms and perform the crash landing procedure as best as possible to shield his body with mine. As it turned out, everyone thought that there weren’t many options for us to choose from.
  I talked quietly to my baby, pointing out the window at the earth below and telling him how beautiful it all was. I didn’t want him to die scared. After about ten minutes with no failures, we began to relax, thinking the fire was contained or spreading slowly. We positioned ourselves for a crash landing. We landed smoothly and without incident. © XelaNiba / Reddit
• My wife had a flatulence. It stank so badly that I could hear people complaining three rows back. She pretended to be asleep. A flight attendant walked up to me and started spraying some flowery air purifier. I took the full blame for it. © cindyjohno / Reddit

“A woman kept covering my screen with her hair during the flight.”

• I was sitting across from a young mom with an infant and a two-year-old. She was busy with the two-year-old, so I offered to hold her baby. I’m a dad; I’ve fed and put babies to sleep.
  She agreed, so I held the baby, fed her a bottle, and patted her on the back to soothe her. She fell asleep, but not before vomiting in my face and down my shirt. On the bright side, I’m pretty sure I earned some karma that day. © tr***c / Reddit
• I once sat in first class on an airplane. A man in my row was clipping his toenails, and the clippings were flying in all directions. Then he took the long metal part of the clippers and cleaned out his toe jam. He wiped it all over his seat. © wahteverr / Reddit

“I’m on a 13-hour flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai. Fortunately, the airline provided an amazing sandwich for my meal.”

• I was on a work trip with two male colleagues, five months pregnant. Right before boarding, they announced, “We want to inform you ahead of time that the rear lavatory on the plane is broken.” My seat was closer to the front, so I wasn’t worried because I knew I wouldn’t have to walk far.
  But they failed to mention that the rear lavatory was the only bathroom on the plane! I was five months pregnant and had to try not to lose everything in the seat next to my boss on the three-hour flight with no bathroom. © nosenuzzle / Reddit

“This is my uncle’s suitcase after his flight.”

• Once, a couple sitting next to me in Economy Plus asked if I could switch seats with their son so that he could sit with them. Their son’s seat was in the middle of the back row, and he was at least 16 years old. I laughed and asked if they were willing to pay for my upgraded seat.
  At that, the embarrassed son scurried to the back of the plane. In hindsight, I think I did the kid a favor by helping him get away from his parents. © JMOlive / Reddit
• I was on a plane from Vancouver to Toronto. I had the window seat. The passenger next to me begged me to switch seats because she wanted to take photos out the window. Reluctantly, I agreed to switch seats with her, even though I really wanted something to rest my head against while I slept during the flight.
  I ended up sitting between her and her husband. I asked the husband if he wanted to sit next to his wife, but he refused for some reason. I’m shy, so I couldn’t insist any further. The whole flight, the couple conversed loudly over my head.
  The worst part was that, about thirty minutes into the flight, the husband took off his socks and shoes. The smell was awful. I didn’t have the courage to ask him to put his shoes back on, but luckily, the passenger in front of me asked a flight attendant to do so. © Justinoh711 / Reddit

“I’m 5’9”. I took a five-hour international flight on a full-fare airline."

• I needed to use the restroom and was about to go when they announced that we were starting our descent and that everyone had to return to their seats. I thought I could hold it for another 20 minutes. But no, we got into a holding pattern. Forty-five minutes later, I was feeling the pressure.
  I was just about to get up and head to the bathroom when they announced that we were cleared to land. Okay, so it seems like the slowest landing ever, but we’re finally on the ground. I really, really, really have to go. We got to the gate, the engines shut off, and everyone stood up, waiting for the door to open.
  Then, the flight attendant came over the loudspeaker and informed us that the pilot had accidentally stopped a few feet short of the jetway. She asked us to take our seats while they got a tug to pull the plane the last few feet to the jetway. My eyes were tearing up because my bladder was about to burst. Everyone stands up again, and we wait for what seems like forever.
  Finally, I whispered to my wife, “I’m going to have to go to the bathroom in the air sickness bag, so you need to shield me from view as best you can.” I opened the air sickness bag, and just as I was about to unzip it, the plane door opened. © Unknown author / Reddit
• I was seated next to a woman with an emotional support animal. If I had to guess, it was a pug-chihuahua mix. Whatever it was, it was small enough to sit on her lap.
  Apparently, the dog needed its own emotional support animal because it was a wreck. It kept standing up and whining. The poor thing went to the bathroom on her lap. The smell! © MizzDevious / Reddit

And if you’re looking for more crazy stuff at 10,000 feet, check out this article, where we’ve compiled the worst armrest fights that ended in air battles. See you in the next narrative turbulence!