An airplane seat one- not had one of these for a while

[Cheeseandlobster]

Was flying back from holiday yesterday in an aisle seat. There was a mother and daughter on the plane, the daughter being about 14. They had originally been sat in someone else's extra legroom seats at the front and had to then move to the row behind me where there was an empty aisle seat. The daughter was very vocal about being unhappy with how little room she was going to have then insisted she had to have her suitcase at her feet which the cabin crew did not police.

Shortly after take off the woman in the seat next to me started vomiting. I am emetaphobic so as soon as I could I moved to the aisle seat behind.

Well you would think I was devil incarnate
The daughter and the mum made passive aggressive comments for a lot of the flight to each other. They wanted to stretch out and sleep and now they couldn't. The daughter said she couldn't handle this. They both had their suitcases at their feet so the mum's shoes were in my leg space, but no effort was made to move them. Lots of pointed elbowing when I was trying to sleep and just general whinging. I was damned if I was going to react and just ignored them. It was clear this entitled mum was raising an equally as entitled daughter. They must have known there was a strong chance there would be someone else in their space but they were just so annoyed by it.

When they got off the mum pulled a woman's hair quite hard by mistake but I heard her laughing about it with her daughter in baggage reclaim as the woman had pulled her up on pushing in shortly after so this apparently was funny.

I am sure I wasn't unreasonable but it would be great to hear about other entitled passengers. I I have always loved hearing these stories

@ripples101

Not disputing that it was a genuine mistake.

I didn’t even realise until I started eating it.

But it is pretty disgusting to be served leftovers from a previous flight is it not?

No matter. The value in posting this incident wasn’t meant to be about any compensation I may or may not have got. It was just about the incident itself.

But you two knock yourselves out.

I agree that this is terrible service. I’d feel very ill if I’d eaten a mouthful of someone else’s old left overs and would have complained.

Just realised I missed out the important detail that while I was asked politely by the air steward to move prior to that the woman basically came over and said you'll need to move I have to sit there, no please of thank you!

Not so much a CF story, but the only time I got to fly long haul in business (for work), the woman next to me fell asleep and farted the whole time she was asleep! It stank (thought farts couldn't smell on planes?). I was so sad this was the only "posh" flight I'd ever been on!

@itchyfinger

Not so much a CF story, but the only time I got to fly long haul in business (for work), the woman next to me fell asleep and farted the whole time she was asleep! It stank (thought farts couldn't smell on planes?). I was so sad this was the only "posh" flight I'd ever been on!

Farts can definitely smell on planes.

We've been that couple that the plane is waiting for twice. And both times I blame my DH. As he's very tall, he likes to board as late as possible so he's not crammed in. I can't bear it. I'm a first at the gate type (I'm also short and have legroom on standard economy flights). But I've gone along with it to stop his moaning on two separate occasions, and just hung out in the bar. And both times we were called by name over the airport tannoy. Mortifying! He goes to the gate when I want to now.

These occasions were both about 15 years ago, but I still prefer travelling with my friend, she and I are on the same page and I find it far less stressful. How DH has never missed a flight I have no idea. Now I'm older, I've got no problem with striding off to the gate without him, but it hasn't come to that yet.

No story of my own but I did read about that poor woman who got moved because 2 orthodox idiots with small willies didn't like sitting next to a person with a vagina.

I thought that sort of shit went out with the Ark.

@PablosHoney I can understand why all the people ahead of you in the queue would be annoyed. You encouraged the lady and child in front of you to push in in front of everyone in the queue; except you as they were already in front of you

@icelolly99 Oh dear, ‘all’ the people weren’t annoyed, just one small minded passive aggressive person..the kid was about four, she could have pissed everywhere instead. Have a bit of humanity or go suck another lemon 😘 if they were behind me I would have said exactly the same thing I can assure you.

Got on my flight home from Kefelonia 2 years ago. It was my first time back there since my husband passed in the March. We go every year.

I booked a last minute week to ease me back in. I had booked my ailse seats, near the front going there and back as I need toilet access and it can be urgent

Got on and someone was in my booked seat. I hadn't checked the ticket as I didn't think I needed too.

A male flight attendant came over and was a bit off with me. He checked my ticket and told me I was incorrect.

They had changed my seat at check-in and not bothered to tell me. The people who had my seat had not booked seats.

The flight was busy so because I was traveling on my own they moved me further down the plane to a middle seat so they could have seats together.

I refused point blank to take the seat they had reallocated me. It was a middle seat in the middle of the plane.

I told the attendant I had booked that seat, I hadn't been told of the change and the reason I had booked it. I also have physical hidden disabilities too.

I was not going right in the middle of the plane in an inside seat. I managed to get my original booking summary out of my bag and show it to the attendant.

He then found me an ailse seat by asking a couple to move down in the seat row to the window and middle seat a couple of rows down from where i was.

The airline got a very sharp email when I got home. I got a refund on booked seat and an apology

@PablosHoney You could have kicked them in the face

What planet are you on?

Their heads were in the footwell...

I meant accidentally as they were in the footwell 🙄

I was once flying on an 11hour flight with my husband and we had 2 seats in a middle section of 4. That section of the plane had a 2-4-2 configuration. There were 2 children aged around 6-8 in the other 2 seats in our section of 4. All fine, unaccompanied minors have to fly and/or sometimes families can’t sit together. But then it transpires that their parents were sitting in one of the window pairs of 2, a couple of rows in front of us. We thought there’d been a mix up or mistake because surely the family of 4 should be in the set of 4 seats and surely the couple would be in the pair? But no, the parents had arranged it like that so they’d have a cosy flight in the pair of seats and never mind who their children ended up sitting next to. I was fuming - again, I have absolutely no problem helping out young kids on a flight but not if their parents have chosen to sit away from them! My husband was calmer and sat next to the kids (but again would you be happy with a random man next to your kids if it could readily be avoided?) and helped them with their meals and belts etc but really.

My parents had a similar experience to @Tempstheyareachanging. On a 10 hour flight they ended up on a row of 3 with a six year old boy sitting in the window seat. The parents were located together several rows away. My mum approached them and asked if one wanted to swap seats to sit with their ds and they looked at her blankly and said "why?"
This left my lovely mum and dad looking after a six year old for the whole flight. They said that in fairness he was a nice little boy but they were tired by the end of the flight

This is a hard thread for me to read! I love travel stories but the joy of reading about an airborne CF getting their comeuppance is sadly deflated by all the stories about those who got away with it. Why do so many people meekly tolerate bad behaviour? Find your inner Karen!

(I am reclaiming "Karen", by the way. The world pretty much depends on fierce middle-aged women with high standards and anyone who thinks that's a bad thing needs to get back to kindergarten.)

There is a great thread on YouTube about mad airline passengers. Mostly in America.

It is unreal. If I can find the link I will post later, but a quick search will do.

I personally keep my mouth shut, my seat in the upright position and and eye mask (face mask now also), and noise cancelling headphones on. But we are in a no win situation with idiots, can't get off at the next station!

Oh no @ChristmasinJune your poor parents, and also the poor kid - your parents sound lovely but surely most little kids would want to be sitting with their parents. The audacity of some people.

@Ineke

On a crowded train I asked a woman who had put her handbag on the seat next to her if I could sit there, she replied that she would rather sit by herself, maybe she had issues with being too close to someone! I stood up for the whole journey.And I'm in my 60's and she was around 30.

This is where you walk up, say excuse me and (if they don't sheepishly move their bag) you pick it up and put it on the overhead shelf. You don't actually ask their permission!

@Tempstheyareachanging

Oh no *@ChristmasinJune* your poor parents, and also the poor kid - your parents sound lovely but surely most little kids would want to be sitting with their parents. The audacity of some people.

I don't think my parents minded too much, it was just a story to tell really, but every time I think about it I feel sad for the little boy who would have known that his parents didn't want to sit with him.

@Chardonnay73

This is a very recent one, ds has ASD so we use the Sunflower lanyard (as we are entitled to do) at the airport. The lovely ground staff on seeing it took us to the front of the check in queue, all checked in, no stress, happy Ds. Apart from the bloke in the standard check in queue who started shouting loudly that ‘he’d been waiting in this Effing queue for 45 minutes and now these bastards were pushing in’ It was awful. Ds started crying, ‘why is the man shouting at me? Is it because I have Autism?’ 🙁 Dh got his very angry face on, which I have only seen a handful of times in 20 years and hissed ‘ My son has a disability. Not all disabilities are visible’ The bloke didn’t say much after that. But everyone was staring. It really upset us all and makes me wonder if using the lanyard in the future is worth it 🤷‍♀️

The problem with the sunflower lanyard is a) not everyone knows what it is b) anyone can get one of the Internet so you now find CFs getting them because they can't be arsed to wear masks etc, so even if people have an idea what they are not everyone takes them seriously

There needs to be something (like the blue badge scheme) which has to have evidence attached

@Tempstheyareachanging

I was once flying on an 11hour flight with my husband and we had 2 seats in a middle section of 4. That section of the plane had a 2-4-2 configuration. There were 2 children aged around 6-8 in the other 2 seats in our section of 4. All fine, unaccompanied minors have to fly and/or sometimes families can’t sit together. But then it transpires that their parents were sitting in one of the window pairs of 2, a couple of rows in front of us. We thought there’d been a mix up or mistake because surely the family of 4 should be in the set of 4 seats and surely the couple would be in the pair? But no, the parents had arranged it like that so they’d have a cosy flight in the pair of seats and never mind who their children ended up sitting next to. I was fuming - again, I have absolutely no problem helping out young kids on a flight but not if their parents have chosen to sit away from them! My husband was calmer and sat next to the kids (but again would you be happy with a random man next to your kids if it could readily be avoided?) and helped them with their meals and belts etc but really.

I'm a bitch, I would have either called to their parents each time something needed doing for the kids, or rung the bell. I appreciate that they are little kids but they aren't mine and I'm not their babysitter, I have 0 responsibility for them.

It would of course be different if they had unfortunately been scattered around the plane with no other options (in which case I'd help without a doubt) but in this instance one parent could have been with each child. Fuck that you cheeky fuckers!

We have a reverse CF one. Flew Air Canada London to Vancouver business and pre-booked window seats in a line for me, DH and kids (who would have been 11,9 and 6 at the time). It’s a different configuration to BA so basically we were in front of each other - there is no-one to the side.

Unfortunately according to Canadian aviation rules this wasn’t allowed. We boarded the air craft, sat down and the air hostesses them had to re-configure the whole cabin. Every single person was very pissed of with us...although why the booking system allowed us to do it in the first place I don’t know?

I mean, come on, is there anyone who would actually choose the middle seat deliberately?

Me? Well, actually my first choice is always the window seat as I love looking out but failing that I would select the middle seat as then I at least get some view out of the window whereas in the aisle seat you can barely see anything.

On a coach holiday to Italy back in 1990', our first night was overnight on the coach. Everyone closed their curtains, lights went out and seats reclined back for sleeping. Me and my sis did the same to be met with angry objections from the couple behind as her husband had a thrombosis in his leg. We put our seats back upright and sat like that for the rest of the night as there were no free seats. The couple in front apologetically reclined their seats and of course so did the angry couple behind us. Spent a very uncomfortable night. Luckily they were moved to the front seat of the coach on the way back. Still annoyed we didn't speak to the guides or stand up to them.

Just remembered another one.

Night flight back from Qatar, when DS was about 5. He was shattered, so pretty much fell asleep straight after take-off. I was very relieved. Just dozed off myself, when I got a smack in the arm and was woken up by a 3 year old running up and down the aisle, bumping into people. Lots of huffing and tutting from people, but the child continued until the third time he ran past me. I stood up and gently took his hand and asked where his parents were. He pointed to the back of the plane. I took him to the back of the plane to find his parents fast asleep.

They were pretty pissed off to be woken up and had a moan about it! I am not the best when I am tired and let rip and called them a pair of selfish shits and to supervise their child and stop him disturbing everyone else on the plane.

I walked back to my seat, to lots of thanks from other passengers.

I know how hard it is on a flight with a young child (done it loads of times), but I would never let my child run up and down and disturb other passengers.

@Tippexy

"... because they were hoping it would be empty, obviously. Utterly bizarre that you didn’t swap with them."

Yes they were probably hoping it would be empty but that doesn't mean either of them would want to sit in it if not.

I'd rather sit anywhere other than the middle seat