Flights From Hell flies you into the crazy skies with stories about the adventures and anxieties of airplane travel.

Commercial airline travel takes us far, far out of our comfort zone. We're herded into cylinders that zip hundreds of miles per hour at 30,000 feet, subjected to security screenings, confronted with delays and lost luggage, rushed to catch connecting flights, constrained to small seats, scrunched up with strangers, and surrounded by pathogens. Is it any wonder we end up becoming a bundle of raw nerves by journey's end?

Close to the Edge

November 15, 2011 Airplane Stories

“African aviation has the worst safety record in the world.” Over many years and millions of miles flying across the length and breadth of Africa, I had a true appreciation of that seemingly innocuous phrase. Yeah, well it’s still safer than crossing the road, isn’t it. Is it? Depends. One of the things it depends [...]

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Air India Hell Security Breach Gatwick

October 30, 2011 Delay Stories

I was dreading the flight even before take-off in Bhuj, India, near Pakistan. Not exactly on the map for international fun seekers. I was there as a media consultant for a Jain charity called Veerayatan. Security is tight at the airport and run by the Indian Army, so that means that it is a secure [...]

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Every Man for Himself

October 21, 2011 Odds & Ends Stories

There is no easy way to fly from Charlotte, NC where I live to Moncton, NB, Canada where my parents live. You have to connect somewhere and I’ve tried almost every conceivable way to do it. You either have a connection that is too tight for comfort or you languish in your connecting airport for [...]

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The Flight that Never Happened

October 9, 2011 Airplane Stories

October 1st, 2011, a happy day for many in China – National Day – going away day, not-going-to-work-this-whole-week day! Hence, not many people were really bothered by the extremely inefficiently run check-in line at Aeroflot’s desk at Shanghai Pudong International Airport because we were all going on holiday – or so we thought. Boarding was [...]

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Plagued by Pilot’s Prattle & Police Interrogation

September 25, 2011 Odds & Ends Stories

I love flying and airplanes. At least I have except for one flight. I was taking an afternoon commuter flight into Chicago’s O’Hare airport from a small town in Illinois. It was the end of a business trip and I was relaxed until the pilot of this relatively small airplane turned on his mike and [...]

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Passenger Frets over Fake Poop Prank

September 23, 2011 Passenger Stories

This happened a few years ago on a return flight from Las Vegas, but it is still as vivid in my mind as if it happened yesterday. I had boarded and was getting comfortable in my window seat, located pretty far in the rear. The two seats next to me were still open, but it [...]

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Travelers Terrorized by Turbulence

September 20, 2011 Weather Stories

It was January 2004 and I had just boarded an Emirates flight from Dubai to Düsseldorf to visit my family in Germany. I am not a happy flyer and hate watching take-offs, so I always ask for an aisle seat. On this flight I was seated in the aisle seat on the left side of [...]

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Nervous Flier Freaks Over FA’s Demonstration

September 14, 2011 Passenger Stories

My husband and I had just finished a wonderful week-long vacation in Cuba. The very first time we flew there we experienced some pretty scary turbulence (at least in my opinion!), so I was a little nervous about taking the flight home. Sometimes I enjoy flying, and sometimes any little sound or bump can scare [...]

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Compensated with a Cookie for Delays

September 8, 2011 Delay Stories

Not so long ago I was flying with my family nonstop from Dulles to Beijing on United. Not as if that was very bad, I mean, it’s just a flight, not your junior year in college. Any other option would have cost more anyway. This was the first time I flew United, and my second [...]

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Flight Attendant’s Top 5 Annoyances

September 3, 2011 Flying Hell Commentary

My Top 5 Annoyances as a Flight Attendant… Firstly, I want to say that I love being a FA (flight attendant for short) and that if you happen to be a passenger on one of my flights, more often than not you are going to have a nice flight. That being said, I would like [...]

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