To ask for your holiday airport disasters (lighthearted)

[Snooks1971]

Just that really! Mine isn’t a disaster more of a mishap, but my shoulders definitely hunched up next to my ears at the time due to a combination of stress, late hour, busy airport, after 2 hours on a hot coach transfer on the way back to UK....
Anyway I digress
Older ds 14 announced a headache. Ok, here’s 2 paracetamol says I and you can swallow them with the coke from the very over priced airport Subway, already purchased.
DS puts one paracetamol in his mouth, leans forward and picks up Coke bottle for a swig, accidentally drops paracetamol in bottle of coke from stupid open teenage gurning gob. Can you guess the rest?

At the time my inner voice thought it was funny but my inner voice was also very quiet at that moment. Now I can see the funny side! Please share....

Plenty of minor disasters, DH thought his wallet had been stolen, it was in fact in his shoe, he put it in there himself, when his shoes went through the scanner!

Another time we put our cases through the scanner, I look at youngest son and say where is your case, he said I don’t know mum, I put it in the machine and it’s disappeared 😂 cue very concerned security guy looking around wondering why no one had claimed the suitcase!

The worst occasion was an elderly couple falling backwards on a escalator in Tenerife, DH helped them up, the lady had a terrible cut to the back of her head. DH was covered in blood, soaked his jeans, our cases were in the hold, he had to clean up his jeans the best he could. I often think about them and hope they were ok.

I rather enjoyed our disaster...

We'd been away with the inlaws. BIL had dragged us all around every knock off market in the area looking at fake watches. With the benefit of age and wisdom we'd have told him where to go, but at the time we all went along to keep the peace.

We got to the airport to fly home and he was wearing his prize, a gargantuan hideous copy of some expensive brand or other. Security guy motions to the tray on the scanning belt and BIL took off this watch and tossed it into the tray. Only issue was he was so fixated on looking smugly at the security guy he missed the tray and we watched as it slowly trundled down the metal rollers before falling through and smashing into lots of pieces on the floor.

I wanted to cheer.

@HeyMonkey I had to buy new knickers at schipol airport . You are not alone.

Not me traveling: panicked call from DH. He'd just got to the airport, and tried to pay the taxi, but he didnt have his wallet. Was it at home? So I pegged it home, found wallet, plus passport, on the side. His taxi driver called his cousin, who drove to ours. I handed over wallet plus passport, and he took it the hour to the airport (zero public transport to it!). While waiting, DH went to explain to checkin what was going on. DH paid both taxis (plus waiting time!), and was on the plane 13 mins after his passport arrived - he was basically escorted on highest priority through all security checks. Thank heavens he always wants to get to the airport early!

Coming back from New York last December.. Was fast asleep and was woken by my Sister saying there was a problem at Gatwick and we were being redirected to Shannon Airport. We were caught up in the drone disaster basically and landed at Shannon at 5.30am. The ground staff or crew couldn't really provide any information as they just didn't know what was going on. Luckily we managed to get flights back that evening to Heathrow and get collected there, but others were not so lucky. They got shipped off to the nearest hotels in a bus and god only knows what day they must have arrived back. We spent about 14 hours in Shannon aiport. Thankfully they now have a great Mac counter and I bought loads of new make up.

DS has dramatic nosebleeds and he once bled copiously all over the floor at Barcelona airport. We were running late so he had to go through security with blood everywhere.

ds on 6th form trip to usa he needed new british passport - I kid you not it came back dated 9/11 - he got stopped both ways teacher banging on door in security to get in with him - he was stuck by himself for an hour - guess ethnic ancestry we have- (by the way I asked teacher before whether there would be a problem-he laughed & said "of course there wont be!" implication of neurotic dm )

I was heading abroad with my friend and we got held up at security and seriously questioned. After what felt like a lifetime and the tension mounting the security officer put gloves on, rummaged everything out my friend's bag and carefully brought out a replica looking toy gun her teenage son thought would be funny to plant there. We were travelling with other friends who were waiting at the other side of security wondering what was going on. Just about closed security down! She was mortified!

Flying back from NY and DD2 wasn't feeling well,( it turned out she had swine flu.)
The woman in front of me refused to put her seat up at mealtime so I could put my table down.
The air hostess told her to and got abuse, I said if she moved to the middle seat, she had a row to herself, she could keep it down because DD was small and was curled up on the seat. Still no.
So I swapped with DD.
Literally 3 minutes later she moved to the middle seat and put the seat back.
DD then woke up and projectile vomited on her, I've never seen so much vomit come out of someone so small.
The hostesses refused to help clean her up as they were helping me with DD, they did point the way to the toilet to her though

Booked a holiday years ago. Me, DH, DS(5), DD(2) and Brother, DW and 3 kids. We arranged everything and had all the documentation re the villa, car hire etc. Saw them as we were parking the car and waved. Get to check in desk - flight has been brought forward 2 hours (pre text days) We had no idea and pleaded with them to let us on the plane which was still at the gate waiting for the late family!!!! DB was telling them that we were in the airport....but they wouldn't let us board. DB had no idea about the car hire or the villa details.

I went into full-on snotty crying meltdown at the airport. Next flight was 7 hours later. I didn't spend all the meal vouchers on gin

Was terrified that DB and family would have to wait for us all day at the other end. Finally arrived, there was a taxi to meet us and as they deposited us in front of the villa my DB appeared and said "we have done all the shopping, cooked dinner and there is Champagne in the fridge. Cue more sobbing from me.

Bastards bagged the best room though

I have zero tolerance for airport monsters, not having your iPad out your bag by the time you get to the belt is enough to annoy me, I could not be held responsible if I was behind him in the queue

I swear there should be a special channel for first time flyers.
20% of travellers cause all the chaos for 80% of the rest of us

Always plenty of "disasters" when holidaying in our large family group. One time DH & I were walking ahead of the main group at the airport. Suddenly heard a commotion behind us, turned round to witness a comedy pileup ensuing on the travelator. Turned out the cause was DF's wheelchair that got stuck at the end and everyone piled on top . On another holiday, half the family broke down on the way to Gatwick and missed the flight. Miraculously they arrived at our destination only hours after us by getting a cab to Luton and catching the only available flight that day. Cost a fortune!

My flight got cancelled, I hooked up with some random woman behind me in the queue and we drove six hours back home together in a rental car.
She happened to live in the next village

That was the best option. No more flights for two days.

@SimonJT DS gets searched every time he flies, blond blue eyed teenage boy. DH has been detained several times by US immigration, usually travels in a collared shirt & navy blazer, white clean shaven man now in his mid 50s. This has been happening since 2005, has spent 3-4 hours being checked out & questioned. Another white clean shaven male friend has similar issues with the US.

Flying to Dublin on 30 December to spend NYE at our friend's place in the middle of nowhere 2 hours outside the city. Check in at Gatwick, all fine. Then:

• Go sit in the Wetherspoons (but of course). Have a few drinks, NYE horray etc. Discover our flights have been delayed by an hour. Then two hours. Then three hours. Eventually we're still sat there and it's 11pm when we were due to fly at 6pm. Our flight finally gets called. Horrah! It's going to be a really late one for our friend who is picking us up at Dublin but we're on the move.

• Check our tickets to realise that there was a 6.20pm flight to Dublin and a 6.45pm flight to Dublin. Best friend had told me to book the 6.45 and I'd booked the 6.20. THANKFULLY the 6.20 had also been delayed and delayed longer - so I hadn't missed it. But the 6.20 was delayed until midnight - so another hour to wait.

• Arrive at Dublin airport at 1am to my exhausted friend who has been waiting up for us and my best friend who is slightly peeved as she arrived an hour ago and has had to wait because of my fuck up with the flights. Then commence 1.5 hour drive to the middle of nowhere where my friend lives.

• Go to collapse into bed but sensible think to take off make up first. Look for see through bag of liquids. Realise to my horror it's not there... I had managed to leave it at security, with basically my entire make up collection in there. Cost me £150 in January to replace it.

Had an absolutely brilliant new year's though!

This isn't going to be popular, but i don't disagree with racial profiling. People detained should be given food/drink and comfortable chairs etc, though.

Why @Ponoka7? You do realise that there has been extremists that don’t fit the ‘sterotype’.

1. Got snowed in at Hannover and missed my connection at Schiphol. Spent the night alone in a strange airport with a €8 food voucher and nowhere open to buy food only beer. Land in the UK the next morning and my luggage is lost. To this day I thank God that my car keys were in my hand luggage.

2. Flying from France to a UK wedding with DH. Completely distracted as we'd got our first ever BFP that same morning after 2 years of ttc. Get to the airport, realise DH has forgotten to pack his suit. We get to the UK, I send him off to Debenhams with 10 mins to buy a suit before our train leaves. He comes back with a BLACK suit 3 sizes too big. Luckily our train is cancelled, so I march him back and buy him a proper suit. The next day, the wedding guests all compliment him on his "classy Parisian outfit"

3. Friend 1 come to visit our newborn DC. Friend 2 sends wrapped gift in Friend 1's hand luggage. Turns out gift is child cutlery and Friend 1 gets hauled away to explain why he's trying to smuggle a knife through security

My ds used to get terribly constipated as a young toddler. And when he ceased to be constipated the results were monstrous. He ceased being constipated at the airport about 5 minutes before we were due to board. It was a horrific task trying to rush to clean him up before boarding. Sounds trivial but I can't quite convey the stress of being stuck in a tiny airport cubicle covered in shit while they announce your plane is now boarding.

@gabsdot

I've flown a few times internally in Russia on Aeroflot.

A few times? Am impressed! Most people I know never went back for a second flight.

Never had any amusing airport incidents but US immigration is something else. They insisted my non verbal autistic 3 year old had to remove her boots and walk through the metal detector alone - I was travelling alone with her and dd2, they wouldn't let me go through once with dd2 and come back for dd1, or any other variation, she had to go alone. Thankfully us legal authorities overlap and the local sheriffs department looks after law and order (rather than immigration and customs) he saw the problem and had very strong words with the tsa guards, dd also really liked his badge and willingly walked towards him. Apologies to the 100+ people waiting in my line that day!

First holiday with an ex when I was much younger. Ex wasn’t really into reading so packed a stack of magazines in his backpack for poolside perusal.

At security they scanned as a solid block, so he was pulled to one side so they could have a look. Turns out every magazine was a lads mag with naked boobs on the front... genuinely looked like all he’d packed for a weeks holiday in Turkey was a years supply of porn I got some very pitying looks from the security guards!!

I was 19 travelling from the US to the UK. I was expecting a layover after my domestic flight but it ran 6 hours late. Tiny plane, one member of crew. Thankfully they held my connecting flight from Newark to London but I had to run across an unfamiliar airport. First thing I did was ask for a G&T as it had been a stressful few hours and, being under 21, they refused to serve me. That was bad enough, but the crew member was also horrible about it. I'd say I'd never fly with them again but the airline went into liquidation a few years ago.

@DameXanaduBramble. That did sound like the equivalent of a flying first world (non) problem and lack of perspective even for a vegan.

I left my mobile phone in a restaurant in the airport and didn’t realise until after I went through security. They told I’d have to disembark and then go and get a new boarding pass and go through security again.
In the end someone phoned the restaurant who took the phone to security, they put it through the scanners and I ended up having to run to the departure gate as our flight had already started boarding 🙈😂

• We took a minicab to the airport. Me with the kids in the back, DS1 insisting he wanted to play Minecraft on the Kindle. Twenty minutes later, he threw up all over the back seat, me, my bag, everywhere. Had to pay double to the minicab, plus get a new bag. Yes, my fault for letting him play!

• A bit outing. We went to Israel - they give you a sticker visa so if you want to travel to other middle east countries, you don't have an Israeli stamp in your passport. The following year we went to Lebanon. Sticker safely left at home. On our very early departure, as they're checking our passports, the officer suddenly dashes off with them then comes back and says "You've been to Israel". On the back of my passport, there is some kind of luggage bar code sticker with Hebrew writing on it! We foolishly try to deny it and I'm beginning to feel a little dizzy and lightheaded, tummy not good. "Don't try to deny it, I'm a reasonable man, just tell me if you have been." We admit we've been on holiday. Officer is berating Israel. I'm muttering to my husband that I'm feeling sick, think I need a toilet URGENTLY. Then I black out. Next thing I feel splashes of water on my face. The passport officer is flicking water at me, apologising profusely! They then let us go. Apparently the officer said sorry to my husband if his questioning had caused me to faint. Actually, it was my dicky tummy.