To think people should think before they get on a plane

[AndSpinAround]

Yeah yeah I know some people are scared of flying, but right now I have no sympathy.

Yesterday DH was on a 7pm flight from London to Barcelona. We live in the outskirts of Barcelona.

Everyone got on the flight then one woman decided she didn't want to fly after all. She got off the plane. This means that everyones hand baggage has to be rechecked. Then just as they are about to go. Another woman decides she is scared and wants her and her family off the plane. The second woman had hold baggage so that had to be taken off, then all hand baggage checked again. Because of this the runway slot had been missed so they had to wait again.
The plane landed after midnight.

The last train for DH to get home leave Barcelona centre at 11.55. The flight was due to get in at 10.20, no problem. Because of these two he had to get a taxi to another part of Barcelona, then a night bus. He got home just after 2.30am.

He's knackered and can't work today.

These two woman should have thought before they got on the fucking plane.

Up at 9 He has to be at work for 8am. He has taken a day off, annoying but not a big deal. Sorry to disappoint you that there's no drama.

Of course it’s annoying to be delayed but yabu but suggest the women were selfish or should have just pulled themselves together. And I’m surprised and saddened to see how little sympathy people on here have for mh issues of it involves any inconvenience to them whatsoever. Would you say the women were selfish and should get over it if it was another medical reason they left the plane rather than anxiety? And I don’t believe it ‘wasn’t that bad’ if they were prepared to leave a flight they presumably wanted/needed to take and had paid for.
Valium doesn’t work for everyone. They were clearly trying to ‘pull themselves together’ and fly but weren’t able to.
Your dh needs to factor delays in when flying. Flights get delayed frequently for many reasons.

"Anxiety is more common in women? "

In the same way autism is more common in men or is it likely to be equally present but men can mask it more? Toxic masculinity is to blame, I assume, rather than the more obvious answer of sex-based brain differences.

wow
ops DH has his flight mucked up.\and he is the bad guy.......only on mn

Understand your frustration but I think unless you suffer from a fear of flying you really have no idea how awful it can be. It's annoying yes but it's not the end of the world and those people must have felt terrible.

Indeed. There are many reasons why the flight could have been delayed. He sounds a little helpless tbh.

YANBU OP. One of the reasons I hate flying is the inconsiderate and selfish passengers. If anxiety is that bad, don't fly, don't do it, Don't to yourself, don't do it to your family and certainly don't do it to the other passengers on the plane.

OP I would be really interested in what you suggest airlines would do differently.

Locked the doors quickly so they couldn't get off?

Then as their panic gets worse, put them in some kind of restraint, so they couldn't move from their seat?

Gag them so one body could hear them crying and screaming to get off?

Or maybe just injected them with a tranquilizer, until they got to Barcelona?

I do sprinkleofsunshine I take chill pills before flight and have got exercises to calm me.
If I was that bad, I wouldn't get on the plane in the first place, I just wouldn't.

Possibly related trazey, my anxiety has now been linked directly to my formerly undiagnosed ASD...

"my anxiety"

So you honestly can’t envision a scenario where you think you’ll be able to cope and then can’t op. To suggest these women with a severe fear of flying ‘hadn’t thought about it’ before boarding the plane is ludicrous! They likely thought of little else.

I’m thinking that the wait and the first person getting off ended up triggering the second person. Anticipatory anxiety

That's what I think too.

To the idiots upthread though who said you don't need to fly. Well, yes, actually quite often you do. Funerals, births, some people even shock live abroad and have to go home for emergencies.

Selfcentredbigot He sounds helpless? Wow only on mumsnet. How exactly is he helpless? Oh right he's not, you just want to be a goady idiot, spouting bollocks.
Actually he's far more sympathetic than me.

"If I was that bad, I wouldn't get on a plane"

You don't understand anxiety at all!

My DD suffered horrible panic attacks when her best friend was killed in a car accident. She had horrific anxiety attacks at uni, on trains, in the house, in the street. She never had one in a car, funnily enough

So the people leaving the plane may have been having an attack because of something totally unrelated to fear of flying.

Anxiety is more common in women?

Anxiety doesn't happen in a vaccum, women are raised to be more fearful, hyper aware and to be more responsible for others. Makes sense they would suffer more. Anxiety is worry, and over thinking..

how many threads are about husbands who simply don't spend any time thinking about what needs doing or worrying about their families.

Well glad to hear your dh has some empathy at least..

I have a friend with a severe fear of flying. They will not get on a plane full stop. Drive (even if it takes a long time), or if going to the UK, drive then ferry. You don't have to fly, people do it because it's quicker.

To the idiots upthread though who said you don't need to fly. Well, yes, actually quite often you do. confused Funerals, births, some people even shock live abroad and have to go home for emergencies.

...as do the several other hundred people on the same flight. And some may have been going to events like those listed.

Again, it's not selfish to be angry that there was such a bad delay and annoying rechecking everything, independent of being mindful of whatever anxiety issues affected the two other passengers.

But I simply don't believe anyone who says they'd smile benignly and think non-stop kind and wholesome thoughts in the same situation.

might’ve been a problem with the left phalangee or worse still, no phalangee (sorry, been watching reruns of Friends

Not difficult to be more sympathetic than you so I'm sure he is. Also lazy, taking a day off work because he went to bed a bit late. As for goady, look at the entire premise of this thread. These women were unable to fly due to a medical condition, which circumstance has caused them great upset and disruption, but the issue is how much that inconveniences you.

I'm mystified as to why he sounds helpless.

No it’s not wrong to feel a bit put out. But to call someone selfish and say they should pull themselves together when they’re ill is mean!
Seems people have sympathy for mh issues so long as they aren’t being impacted in any way.
I’m sure if an older person had been taken off the plane with a heart episode people wouldn’t have been blaming the passenger suggesting they just don’t fly and should consider other passengers. But people should be able to dial down their mental health problems when inconvenient.

You don't suddenly get on a plane and discover you're anxious about it.

Indeed you don't, so clearly that isn't what's happened here.

When it happened to the flight I took in September, the delay actually caused a guy to miss his nans funeral. He was in tears, my heart broke for him.