Calamari

I really hate to admit this one, but here goes. On our return trip from England in July, British Airways had apparently given one of our four seats in the middle aisle to someone else. I ended up being stuck with my two kids while DH got to sit in peace and solitude. The young woman who insisted on breaking us up was relentless and very upetty. She was offered several other seats in order to keep my family of four together, but she refused. I am not sure of the point she was trying to make. Personally I think it was between the need for attention and a power trip. I turned to her and asked her if she really wanted to sit in the same aisle as two little sisters. She gave me a dirty look, put on her head phones and her little sleep mask. We ended up staying on the ground for over an hour before take off. My kids started to poke eachother while we were still on the ground. Miss Priss was asleep when I had to change seats with my 9 year old in order to sit inbetween my two daughters. Half way into our departure, my nine year old went pale, turned her head and threw up all over Miss Priss. She awoke covered in my daughters breakfast. Serves her right. She sure wanted to change seats after that but there were no takers. My husband burst out laughing after he was assured that our daughter was o.k.

Moral of the story, do not ever break up a family with kids just to prove a point.

Marilyn

Ah, Calamari, there is such a thing as karma, as we say out here on the left coast. How did you keep from laughing the entire rest of the trip?

Natalia

An obnoxious young woman was sitting in front of me and kept lowering her seat as far as it would go and then giving me dirty looks when I would try to move and would bump her seat.

So while I was trying to eat my dinner and her seat was still in my lap, it came as no surprise to me that her hair that was draped over the top of the seat just "happened" to become dipped in salad dressing from my tray. Now how did that happen? The two strangers sitting on either side of me thought it was pretty funny too.

Amy

What great stories! I'm afraid I'm usually irritating to travel with as I become a sodden lump as soon as I get on a plane: I just want to go to sleep! That's why I do try for a window seat, as I'm generally just vegetating as much as possible.

I have to admit, my sister teased me a bit about one trip when our seats were separated and I was awake, alert, and talking for quite some time--but hey, he was really cute! (and not irritated, either.)

WalStro

The guy who really got my goat was on a plane from Sacramento to SLC, he had a big load of methane and he wanted to share it with me. Thanks but not thanks, fella.

Nutella

As I live far away from my family, there are the times in life when I must fly home for very sad reasons. So I've been that annoying seatmate who is crying uncontrollably. Luckily, several people I've encountered have been very compassionate. But it couldn't have been too pleasant sitting next to me.

Nutella

And to lighten things up from my last post ; ) I'm positive I was annoying to others that time coming home from Milan when the mysterious Italiano invited me to join him in some empty seats in the back of the plane, got the flight attendant to bring us champagne, strawberries and chocolate, and... never mind!

Incognito

Was that you BethGL? You owe me a huge cleaning bill. I just wanted to get some sleep, Beth

Joelleinitaly04

I've flown with kids when they were young and even a baby, and while I didn't let them run up and down the aisle screaming, nor did the baby cry excessively, I'm sure that just the fact that they existed in the same airspace annoyed some.

ll

Wow!! It sounds like a giant kindergarten out there and some of you can be really vicious. Chill out! Some of these flights are full of "Ugly Americans" who are let loose on the unsuspecting "natives". No wonder the reputation. Mona Lisa, watch out for Beth, she does not play nice.

Byrd

Nutella, your story of being a "sobbing seatmate" reminded me of the awful day 11 years ago when our first grandchild, who was due Dec. 4, was suddenly born on Aug. 12! We were in Alabama, she was in California, so I was on the first flight west. I was a basket case,of course, trying to imagine a one-pound baby, and quietly but persistently praying!

My seatmates obviously knew I had big problems, and left me to myself, bless them.

By the way, our granddaughter just celebrated her 11th birthday and is a beautiful not-so-little girl. She is an excellent student, very creative, plays the piano beautifully, and shows no signs of those terrifying early days!

And Rex, you and all neonatologists have special places in our hearts!

Byrd

BethGL

She was an "ugly" American too!!

MelissaHI

Calamari, I came to this thread to repost my story about how I was a baaad passenger. But your story really cracked me up! I believe in karma, and that gal deserved every ounce of breakfast on her lap.

Anyway, here is what I've done: On one flight, this woman was VERY pissed off that I sat next to her--she thought she would get the row to herself. My sister snarled,'Did she pay for 2 seats? NO. Sit.' I tried my best to be a good seatmate, seeing her displeasure, but I turned out to be like Cosmo Kramer. For instance, at mealtime I had wine with my meal and as I was trying to remove the cap as carefully as possible (so as not to disturb her), the cap flew off, into the air, and right into HER drink! I thought she was going to throttle me. It seemed like, the harder I tried to be careful and inconspicuous, the worse it became.

Another time, I brought some snacks on the plane including pre-packaged popcorn. I couldn't get it to open, it was sealed so tightly. So my brother reached over to help me, and the bag broke, sending popcorn flying all over us, the seats in front of us, and the aisle. We were embarrassed but at the same time were cracking up, as were the other passengers. The flight attendants showed up with their broom & dustpan, tsk-tsking us the whole time.

I did fall asleep on my seatmate, once....good thing he was a cutie. I could feel him wince as my head hit his shoulder but kept my head where it was!!

KT

I'm careful about armrests, I don't normally recline my seat, and I never,ever take up somebody else's floor space. However....

I once flew home from London with a nasty case of bronchitis. I would gladly have paid for extra hotel nights to stay in London until I could see a doctor and start recovering, but I had a nonrefundable plane ticket and the airline wouldn't let me change it. So I did the best I could to be considerate -- guzzled cough suppressant, drank gallons of water, consumed a few million lozenges, and always covered my mouth and leaned over the aisle to cough (I was across from an interior wall, so no passengers on that side). The passenger in the next seat was quite gracious when I explained and apologized, but I'm sure he wanted to kill me.

Jennie

Great thread, Marilyn!

I beg to differ with you though that you have the smallest bladder on the planet. You couldn't possibly have the smallest because *I* happen to have the smallest! I think I need to sit in a row with you and Scarlett! During my last flight I thought the guy next to me was seriously going to have a fit with me getting up and down. He was kind of a jerk anyway, though. (He was pissed that *anyone* was sitting next to him.) In my defense, I had to make the trip (work-related) at the last minute, so I was stuck in a middle seat. Otherwise, I would have requested an aisle seat.

Also, I can be a bit of a "fidgeter" on planes. I'm constantly shifting around to get into a more comfortable position (which results in me occasionally knee-ing the back of the seat in front of me) or something. It's irritating as hell, I'm sure.

I DO at least say I'm sorry!

Jennie

Marilyn

Thanks, Jennie. One of my travel mottos (I've thought of getting a T-shirt) is "Never pass up a chance to pee." I have occasionally resolved to count the number of bathroom trips I make on a 10 hour flight, but I inevitably lose track.

matthew

One of my college lecturers used to wait until he sat next to an obviously nervous flyer and then tell them all about how much the wing tips on a 747 bend up in flight and stress fractures in wings, how parts of the engines run hotter than the melting point of the metals used (it's true, but don't ask) plus a few other things.
He said he usually gets an hour or so in before he gets 2 seats to himself.

I don't annoy people however, as I am perfect

(I'm waiting for someone to respond and contradict that last one)

Marilyn

Why, Matthew, someone who KNOWS you will have to contradict it, no?

matthew

Anybody who reads anything I write tends to get annoyed!!

Jayne11159

I'm sure a group I traveled with a few years ago gave nightmares to their fellow passengers. I was one of several parent chaperones on a middle school trip to Europe. There were 40 of the little darlings. We did a 10-day EF tour that was very poorly planned. The result at the end of 10 days was a group of malnourished, exhausted sick kids. The grown ups were irritable and ready to get home. During the 9-hour flight, two boys rolled in the aisle fist-fighting, two boys died their hair Smurf blue in the bathroom, and many of them took particular delight in seeing who could pass the loudest smelliest gas. When several of the girls started vomiting, the adults had to fess up and admit that we were with them.