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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not want to sit next to this man on a flight

187 replies

ShouldHAVE · 25/08/2017 13:17

Flew back yesterday from holiday with my family. When we were checking in, there was an older man checking in with his wife. The man was in a wheelchair, being pushed by airport staff. He had towels over his head and was making lots of moaning noises and obviously being sick under there.

Lucky old me only ended up sitting next to them! The wife apologised, saying he started throwing up earlier that afternoon and was very ill (was not disabled - only in the wheelchair as he couldn't stop puking). Now, I just can't get my head around how he was allowed on that flight. The poor man should have been in hospital! He spent the entire 4ish hour flight vomiting and moaning in agony. The smells (coming from ends) were horrific. God knows how many sick bags he filled, but no-one was taking them away - he was just collecting them at his feet.

I spent the whole flight lightheaded from trying to hold my breath. I've complained to the airline this morning, I even paid extra for the privilege of booking my seat next to them.

Were the airline out of order to let him fly?

OP posts:
UrsulaPandress · 25/08/2017 14:10

I'm surprised he didn't set half the plane off - I too would have been retching.

Grim

Youcanttaketheskyfromme · 25/08/2017 14:12

Which airline was it ?

Neutrogena · 25/08/2017 14:13

You should have started ranting, telling others around you he is infectious. If a critical mass of people started to panic and get agitated, they would have kicked him off and you could have flown back in peace.

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 25/08/2017 14:18

That's horrific! I'm emetophobic too and could not have handled that at all! I'm amazed they let him fly! On our holiday dd1 started vomiting 3d before our departure date. I was hysterical, convinced it was norovirus (we were on a cruise, and that was my biggest fear!) ,that we would all get it and not be allowed to fly home! Turned out to be heat stroke, but I quarantined her anyway and would not even have considered flying (or wanted too!) If there was any chance we were potentially contagious or unwell.
Totally unacceptable in my opinion, and I would have created merry hell, British or not!

Bobbydeniro69 · 25/08/2017 14:19

There is absolutely no way I would have put up with this. I would have immediately and loudly questioned why this man was allowed on the flight.

As sympathetic as you can be to his illness, this man and his wife were being extremely selfish and thoughtless by boarding anyway. If they were not in the right state to consider the consequences of their boarding, then certainly the airline should have insisted he not fly.

I have some sympathy for the OP, but that only goes so far when someone puts up with such an outrageous situation.

Cagliostro · 25/08/2017 14:22

Awful. As a slowly recovering emetophobe this would set me back years.

Can't believe they let him fly

horriblehistorieswench · 25/08/2017 14:35

I am really surprised he was allowed to fly. One time I was flying long haul we had reserved our seats. A much larger family, 3 or possibly 4 generations, hadn't & were dotted about the plane, couple of them asked me & DD swap as mother wasn't feeling too well and they wanted to be near her to keep an eye on her without alerting cabin crew in case she wasn't allowed to fly. Well I'm afraid I said no, we'd paid extra to ensure we sat together. I should have alerted cabin crew myself as half way through flight she collapsed. Lots of hysterical relatives around the plane and I could here one of the stewards saying "I think she's gone, where should we put her?" Fortunately he was mistaken and she came round but I do still wonder what would have happened if she'd died?

MotherofSausage · 25/08/2017 14:36

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

ThierryEnnui · 25/08/2017 14:41

Shock at vanity wanting to physically assault a woman in distress on a flight

Decaffstilltastesweird · 25/08/2017 14:46

As an emetophobe, I wouldn't have boarded the flight let alone sat next to him

I'm not an emetophobe and I don't think I would have boarded the flight either.

GahBuggerit · 25/08/2017 14:47

I used to have a crippling fear of flying Vanity so that was probably me crying on your flight. Hope you enjoyed your flight though without horrid intrusive thoughts of dying the entire time.

Op sounds horrible, should have just asked to be moved, though maybe not next to your dc who was also sick the day before so also possibly carrying an infection.

Crunchymum · 25/08/2017 14:48

Why can't I keep off this thread?

Seems that people flying with very sick people isn't such an unusual occurrence?

Original poster
ShouldHAVE · 25/08/2017 14:52

DH just reminded me that there were no spare seats. We knew this as a young family (who hadn't pre-booked seats obviously) came on complaining that they'd been split up, demanding to be put together & the cabin crew told them they couldn't, as there were no spare seats.

Airline was Balkan. Still waiting for a response to the email I sent them earlier. If I haven't heard by the end of the day I'll take to social media.

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 25/08/2017 14:54

OP said that this was with Balkan Airlines - yet another illustration that they're not all created equal Hmm

I agree with PPs that they obviously shouldn't have let him board, but since they were stupid enough to do exactly that I'd have sent the flight standing up somewhere else

Original poster
ShouldHAVE · 25/08/2017 14:54

@gahbuggerit my dd was only sick once the day before, not quite in the same league as this.

OP posts:
girlwhowearsglasses · 25/08/2017 14:58

Haven't rtft but did you ask to be moved? Did politeness to his wife stop you asking? They shouldn't have put you there but you could have womaned up and said no way?

GahBuggerit · 25/08/2017 14:58

Clearly not but she was still sick right?

Don't get me wrong, I'm the parent who sends my kid into school if they have been sick the night before if I've been 1000% sure it's because of the giant bag of haribos they hoofed and nothing else, was just pointing out that the possibility of him spreading an infection would have been just as present with your dc, unless of course it was also due to a family bag of haribos Grin

Decaffstilltastesweird · 25/08/2017 14:58

Since we're sharing horror stories; I have once had someone vomit violently in the row in front of me. We were just about to take off and this man in front of me tried to get up to use the bathroom. The flight attendant was ushering him back to his seat when he started vomiting all over the floor. It was running along the floor towards my feet and hand bag. Poor bastard was on new medication, it transpired, and he'd reacted badly to it. They had to drive back to the airport and a cleaning crew came on.

I sympathised with that man though, as it clearly came on very suddenly and he had no idea it would happen.

The man in the op, I sympathise less with, as he knew he was vomiting beforehand, but had no idea if he was infectious or not. I mainly blame the airline though for letting him board (unless he had a doctors note or something).

Decaffstilltastesweird · 25/08/2017 14:59

The man on my plane had to go straight to hospital btw. They didn't let him fly.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 25/08/2017 15:00

Spare a thought, too, for the next passengers who have to sit in that area

After all, does anyone imagine a really deep clean can be done - even if the airline's standards make it likely - in the short turnaround times they have available?

Decaffstilltastesweird · 25/08/2017 15:02

The deep clean on the plane I just mentioned took ages. And the whole row where the poorly man had been sitting was declared out of action. The other passengers who had been in that row had to sit with flight attendants.

That was ba btw. I don't always love them but think they were really good about the vomit.

Glumglowworm · 25/08/2017 15:03

That's appalling! I'm a recovering emetophpbe would've been having full on panic attack even if I was elsewhere on the plane, I physically couldn't have sat next to him.

He shouldn't have been allowed on the plane at all. Or even in the airport. I wouldn't have cared one jot about offending him or his wife, they were stupid and selfish to even think about him flying in that state.

IDoDaChaCha · 25/08/2017 15:04

I would have asked to move due to the risk of being sick myself being near someone being sick. I'm sure they could have helped you as just one person needing to move. I was on a long haul flight once where they forgot to feed me! They had to give me one of the crew's meals as there had been a fuck up somewhere along the line. I wouldn't have just sat there going hungry. If you don't ask you don't get.

riceuten · 25/08/2017 15:04

I had a (much less serious) similar situation on a flight to Vienna - I am a nervous flyer anyway (and can't cope well with turbulence) but the bloke in front of me threw up non-stop from taking off (literally, we weren't even in the air when he started) to landing (he was still heaving and gasping as we taxi'd to the stand). He filled bag after bag and the staff started off sympathetic, but you could see the eventual rictus grins and the snatching away of bags after 90 minutes of this. I had to go and sit on the toilet for 10 minutes just to get away from it. Apparently he did this on every flight :-((((

Brakebackcyclebot · 25/08/2017 15:11

My God. I coukd not have sat there. This is seriously my worst nightmare & I feel sick now just reading this thread. I worry about someone else being sick when I go on flights/the tube/trains and boats. I won'the go on a boat trip with anyone but my family as I know none of us get sea sick. Total emetophobe.....