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This didn't happen to me, but I was on a flight once and saw this little demon spawn acting up during the flight as his parents blissfully ignored the groans and stares from other passengers as their child (who was probably six years old), wailed, scream, and threw toys all over the cabin. At one point, he yanked a flight attendant's skirt down a bit (not where you could see anything) and the parents said nothing. Then the final straw. Apparently craving more attention, he took some orange juice and dumped it on the head of the woman in the seat in front of him. The woman was impeccably dressed and accessorized and for whatever reason, it seemed like there no bottom to his cup of orange juice and it went everywhere, in her hair, down her blouse, on her white pants, on her watch and jewelry, her CD player, her magazines, and on and in her expensive-looking purse. The parents simply said "Jimmy! Stop it." No apology. The orange juice-covered lady EXPLODED into an obscenity-laced tirade and had to be restrained by the flight attendants and her husband. The rest of the passengers applauded her evisceration of these two parents and eventually, the parents were moved to a different section of the plane due to the hostile passengers. There was about to be a mob assault on these people it felt like. I never cease to be amazed by how awful some parents are.
For me personally, nothing too major....
I was bumped off a flight once because they overbooked and had to wait eight hours at an airport with nothing to do. I never have enough leg room in flights and always wind up sitting behind someone who insists on putting their seats back. I'm always the person singled out for the "random" more intensive and invasive passenger search. And I once had to watch the movie "Calendar Girls" as part of the in-flight entertainment.
If you want bad stories, try talking to any G.I. that has flown on a militay plane . Whether it's a C-5A, C-130 or a C-141, they all ride ruff. You either sit backwards facing the tale of the plane, or you sit with your feet propped up against a vehicle of some sort felling like a sardine. No food service and the restroom is usually at the other end of the plane (the only one) , so you have to climb over equipment or people to get to it. And lets not forget that depending on were your sitting, it's either very cold or very hot, no happy medium. Oh, and most of them don't have a nice little window to look out and you can't hear a thing during or after the flight. And the military uasually don't like to make lay-overs so you can't get out to stretch your legs. 21 years of it under my belt.
I've had a ton of annoying flights with bad service, major delays, rude flight attendants, etc. Today, I'll just talk about rude passengers. A few months ago I was in the Shanghai airport taking a flight to New Delhi via Air India (terrible, dirty airline). I arrived to the airport fairly early and there were two long lines going up to the ticket counter. I got in the shorter one and after about 20 minutes of not moving, about 30 people in line behind me were moved to a new line made for group reservations. This was no big deal but after another 15 minutes, it was clear my line was never going to move. I finally decided that I would move to the other line. I lifted up the rope so that I could push my luggage under and move over and the guy behind me saw me doing it and decided that he would take advantage of it and tried to shove ahead of me in the new line. I told him that I was going first. He let me. 15 minutes later, we were still in the line and he all of a sudden tried to shove his luggage past mine to get in front of me again! I held out my arm so that he couldn't get past and asked him where he was going. He stayed in place.
Finally, after some ridiculous amount of time had passed (I was literally one of the last 10 people in line even though I had gotten there well in advance of many people), the counter was in sight. There was one person at the counter and one person in front of me. As the person at the counter was finishing up, the guy behind me again tried to push past me to get to the counter! I put my arm out again and said very loudly, "I'm sorry, we're in something called a LINE. That means that this person goes first (pointing to the guy in front of me), then I go, THEN you go." Another guy watching this whole ordeal started laughing and told me to go to the counter. I wasn't going to go, though, 'cause there was still someone in front of me! I was so pi**ed off at this point that I thought I was going to lose it. I was even cursing under my breath. Not only had I been in line for an eternity but I was basically "protecting my territory" against this incredibly rude guy behind me. (I'm a slim, young woman so he probably thought that he could take advantage of the situation without me saying anything).
He stayed back again and I got to the counter ahead of him. The one good thing that came out of all of that is that I managed to talk the guy at the counter into giving me a row that was entirely empty. I got on the plane and almost the entire plane was full and I had the only empty row. Vindication was mine!
commuting back and forth to NYC from Denver, I was getting the middle seat on almost every flight. I got sandwiched between couples with young children who didn't have to buy a seat for the kids, but were allowed to have them on their laps. So, I, too, got the punching, kicking, barfing, screaming little brats for 4 hours at a time ... and the parents' always thought their kids were being cute and adorable. The flights were always full and you couldn't be re-seated. For whatever reason, the parents refused to sit together and let me have aisle or window seat out in the row. And they gave me hard time about putting my tray down for my laptop ... because they were always passing something back and forth for the kids. I was never so happy as when that contract ran out and I didn't have to commute anymore.
I had a vacation trip planned to CA, with a sailboat chartered with some friends to leave on a Friday afternoon heading out to a race. I showed up at the boarding gate for my flight 30 minutes early, only to discover that that door was closed and the plane getting pushed back. The airline had oversold the flight and the plane was full at that point, and they got an early departure clearance slot. My confirmed reserved seat was worthless. All of the later passengers were given a voucher for the next available flight out. Only the next flight out was overbooked, and we weren't given any priority over the confirmed seats. I waited until the last flight out that evening, which would have put my arrival way past the time when the boat had to be on it's way to the start line. I still couldn't get a seat. The airline paid for my motel room, but all the other incidental expenses ... it was a 4 hour drive to the airport for me, plus the parking, and the lost weekend charter ... were an expensive total loss to me.
Last december, I was supposed to have a working interview in State College PA.
My original plan: Get off work at 5:30, drive to RDU....which is an hour west of my house. Flight leaves at 8:30. Go thru Philly, land in SC around midnight.
Get to RDU at 6:30, I speak to my husband (while still in the car lot), and ask him how he's doing....better than you, you're flight is cancelled. (no.1)
Get inside...stand in line, get booked on the 7:30 which is delayed....wait around until 9:15, flight is cancelled (no. 2).
Jump on cell phone, get a flight leaving out at 9:15 am, landing at 1:30. Not the first flight out, but they all connect at same time.
Stay at an nearby hotel so I don't have to drive so early back and forth.
Get to the airport early (did I mention yet this is US Airways?!?? NEVER AGAIN)....like 6:30 am . Thank goodness...it was the LONGEST line I have ever been in at an airport....and I grew up near O'Hare!....After still in line, no way near the front...at 8:30, the guy in front of me has his wireless lap top...and he checks my flight...you guessed it....cancelled (no. 3).
My cell phone is dying, most everyone is trying to get out, so I go out to my car, and call to reschedule me. I don't care how I get out, or where I land, please, just get me there.
Can you go to Greensboro (1 hour further west) she asks??? SURRREEEEE. Drive to Greensboro....get there....can you GUESS??!??? Yep, cancelled. (no. 4). She looks at me very sweetly, and offers to drive me down (with a van full....) to Charlotte. WILL IT REALLY TAKE OFF!??! I just start laughing at her, it was noon on friday, and say, what the heck, why not?!?!?
Get to charlotte...and it took off!! On time!! And they gave me First class!! (for one of four legs anyway)...
Three major airports in one morning!
I arrived at my interview, which was supposed to be all day friday and sat am, at 8 pm on Friday (oh...I forgot to mention...when we landed in State College, we were met by about 5 or 6 fire engines...I thought, "you have GOT to be kidding me...my plane is going down?!?!", but it was only the terminal with smoke from a belt on fire .
BTW....I started my new job on March 26th, and am very happy! My boss was impressed with my attitude through the whole thing!!
Ya, I know what you mean by the airlines over booking all the time. I think they bo it so that they can make sure that most of they're flights have a certain amount of passangers on them, so they don't lose money.
Years ago I was on travel orders for Uncle Sam. I arrived at the airport an hour and a half early, when I got there the ticket counter told me that the flight was over booked and that they were going to bump me for some businessmen. Well needless to say, I informed the lady that they weren't going to bump me for him, because I was on orders and I wasn't going to miss my flight from my next stop to Puerto Rico. So, the businessmen proceeded to tell me that his travels were more important than, as he put it "your playing soldier". As the low level argument continued the ticket counter lady sent for her boss. The ladies boss arrived just in time. I was about too rearrange this guys attitude for stating the all G.I's were nothing but overpaid BOYSCOUTS . Well, the ticket ladies boss whispered something to her, then asked me off to the side. They went ahead and gave my seat to the JERK. But, then gave me FIST CLASS SEATS from Cleveland all the way to Puerto Rico. Oh, and on the same plane as the JERK to Atlanta Ga. You know I relished the idea of sitting there in first class waiting for him to pass by and me sitting there in my nice big comfy seat. That was a picture worth a thousand words . So please, when ever your in the airport and are your faced with the same type of situation as the JERK was. Please be nice to the G.I's, they're under orders from a higher level, and cannot fail their mission.
Mine was about 15 years ago. We were going on a cruise from Puerto Rico. Since I lived in Cali at the time, this involved a flight from Sacramento to Los Angeles, a change of airlines (the first one misplaced our luggage - part of our group went to the next terminal - across the airport - to check in for our seats while the rest waited for the luggage - which was fortunately found - sitting by the side of the runway!!) Then a flight from LA to Miami - then to Puerto Rico. The LA-Miami-Puerto Rico leg did not require a change of planes, which is where the nightmare began.
We left LA at 12:30 am on a DC-10 that was PACKED! There were 5 of us, including my 2 1/2 year old daughter. At that point, she hadn't slept since her afternoon nap. Because the plane was so full the only place for her to sleep was on our jackets on the floor in front of our seats. But the plane was so noisy she only slept for about 3 hours. When we arrived at Miami, they said no one could get off the plane because we wouldn't be there long enough. Ok, fine, except then they decided that one of the tires needed to be changed - still can't get off the plane. 45 minutes later the tire is changed. Oh, now another tire needs to be changed - how the heck did thye land this thing with 2 bad tires and not wreck???? Still can't get off the plane, nor would they give anyone coffee, juice, water..... oh, and it's now 7:30 in the morning. Great, we've been sitting on the runway for 2 hours now, can we go please??? Nope, 3rd tire needs to be changed - but uh oh, no more DC-10 tires at Miami airport, we're gonna have to wait for one to be flown in from Dallas. WHAT??????? My dad, who is Type 1 diabetic, has now been unable to get any thing to eat or drink for over 9 hours, but they still won't give him even any OJ, or let him get off the plane and get food, and he's starting to go into an insulin reaction. Finally my mom threatens the flight attendants with a lawsuit and a severe medical event if they don't let them go get some food. Finally they did - and we sat at the gate for another 45 minutes before they decided that the third tire really didn't need to be changed and we took off. Oh, did I mention that the airline was in negotiations and a few weeks later was on strike???? It turned out that the whole fiasco was so that the attendants would be able to stay on the flight and get overtime. Thank goodness my daughter was a total trooper. Even on 3 hours of sleep she wasn't as cranky as us adults!!!
Oh, and we made it to the cruise ship - with 30 minutes to spare!!!
I worked for an airline for 4 years (America West turned U S Airways) and I worked the ticket counter, gate, boarded the plane, baggage service, and I even did weight and balance of the plane. You want some stories, I could tell you some stories! One of the planes that I had to take care of, its engine caught on fire during take off, so it had to fly around for a minute to burn some fuel so that it would meet landing weight. The people were terrified! So I had to babysit that stupid plane for days! Then we had a lady die on one of our flights. Emergency landings. Deversions because of weather. Cancelled, delayed flts. You name it, I've worked it. For the people complaining about customer service, try being on the other side of the counter and having people screaming at you for hours because all the sudden it is your fault that the plane is delayed or cancelled. Have you ever had 190 people in your face? Not fun! Its kinda hard to keep a smile after that!
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Try Air Military
. Whether it's a C-5A, C-130 or a C-141, they all ride ruff. You either sit backwards facing the tale of the plane, or you sit with your feet propped up against a vehicle of some sort felling like a sardine. No food service and the restroom is usually at the other end of the plane (the only one)
, so you have to climb over equipment or people to get to it. And lets not forget that depending on were your sitting, it's either very cold or very hot, no happy medium. Oh, and most of them don't have a nice little window to look out and you can't hear a thing during or after the flight.
And the military uasually don't like to make lay-overs so you can't get out to stretch your legs. 21 years of it under my belt.
.
. Well, the ticket ladies boss whispered something to her, then asked me off to the side. They went ahead and gave my seat to the JERK. But, then gave me FIST CLASS SEATS from Cleveland all the way to Puerto Rico. Oh, and on the same plane as the JERK to Atlanta Ga. You know I relished the idea of sitting there in first class waiting for him to pass by and me
sitting there in my nice big comfy seat. That was a picture worth a thousand words 
.
