Passenger’s Strangest Misadventure

January 24, 2010

in Odds & Ends Stories

About 10 years ago I was flying from Boston to Atlanta to return to school from my parent’s home. Due to logistical issues, my father had to drop me off at the airport about 5 hours before my flight. So, I checked my bag and went out for a long walk – Boston is an easy place to kill time.

As I returned to the gate area about an hour before the departure time, I heard my name being called over the PA system. When I reached the gate, the ticket agent informed me that the flight before mine had some mechanical problems with the plane. The only available replacement plane for this (low passenger number) flight was a 747. So, the airline announced that anyone on my flight (this airline flies this route every hour) who would like to get to Atlanta a hour early was welcome to board the 747 as well. The ticket agent then explained that they had been trying to get hold of me via announcements for over an hour. She went on to explain that my flight would still leave as scheduled, as the airline needed the airplane in Atlanta. They had been unable to reach me or three other people in time – everyone else took them up on their offer.

When we boarded the plane, the flight attendants didn’t place the four of us in our assigned seats, but in the four separate parts of the cabin. Our plane was another wide-body jet. I didn’t see another person from my seat in the entire cabin. To say the least, it was a little weird when we were in the air. I felt like I was on a special Department of Justice flight, being transported to the Atlanta Federal Prison. When I asked why we were being seated this way, the flight attendant explained that they needed to balance the weight of the plane. I didn’t feel like rebutting that the jet probably had at least 50,000 lb. of jet fuel on board, so four 175 lb. people wouldn’t make much difference.

Well, that was the last I saw of the flight attendants. Due to the number of people on board, there was no beverage or snack service. The weather was also extremely stormy the whole way, so the isolation in the cabin didn’t help. Early in the flight, I had asked if I could sit in the First Class section, something I had never done before. I was given a definitive “No!” About halfway through the flight, curiosity got the better of me, so I snuck up the aisle to the closed curtain separating coach from First Class. I then found out why there was no snack service – all the attendants were pigging out on all the snacks (and liquor) from the carts. It looked and sounded like a frat party. So, I went back to my seat, happily remembering I had a few snacks in my backpack from the flight up two weeks before. A quick search through the galley yielded nothing.

While I’ve had many misadventures over the years in airports and on airplanes, this one for sure was the strangest.

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

Demotage January 24, 2010 at 8:37 pm

I'm trying to make sense of this story.

At first, it didn't make sense that you would go to walk around Boston with only 4 hours (3.5 really) to spare, but I guess it's possible. Getting to and across on the water taxi from Logan could be a 30 min trip, as could getting to Boston on the on the T. They could take 30 minutes, but you'd leave at least an hour getting back to be sure – so that leaves you a maximum 2.5 hours for walking – minus a half hour, since you apparently got back more than an hour before your scheduled flight (or they wouldn't have let you on the earlier flight). So I guess it's feasible.

But who are these other 3 people? The three people who didn't get on the earlier flight? Were they the only other people on the plane? It seems like you are implying that, but it's not clear. If you don't know them, why would you care if you sat with them? I agree, if there were only 4 people on the flight it probably wouldn't matter where you sat – weight wise – or were you on the earlier flight? That too isn't clear?

The prison thing seems weird – you have an active imagination, although I guess I can see it was a little creepy if you were the only one in the cabin. Were you? Not clear if you were alone, or simply not with those other 3 people.

Reply

Adam McLemore January 24, 2010 at 11:36 pm

Ten years ago the only airline flying hourly between BOS and ATL was Delta. (And was more like bi-hourly) At that time, Delta did not operate any 747 aircraft. They did not start operating them until last year with the Northwest merger.

Lots of people who are unfamiliar with planes mistakenly refer to any jumbo jet as a 747. Perhaps this is what the poster did? Ten years ago Delta would have been flying 767's and L-1011's between BOS and ATL, though. Both are large widebody airliners. Could that have really been what the poster flew on? Because the only other domestic airlines that even flew 747's ten years ago were Northwest and United. And I'm sure neither of them were even flying BOS-ATL non-stop flights.

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Morgan September 15, 2010 at 8:40 pm

You do not know what you're talking about. Delta has flown 747's for decades! Maybe YOU don't what a 747 is. This a link to a photo of an Delta 747-100 in 1971 Love Field in Dallas. photo/Delta-Air-Lines/Boeing-747-132/0091789/L/&sid=f90b893e94091dfc3a2e09c0

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Morgan September 15, 2010 at 8:42 pm

photo/Delta-Air-Lines/Boeing-747-132/0091789/L/&sid=f90b893e94091dfc3a2e09c0

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zman February 1, 2010 at 7:37 am

this is a total bs story….

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Alex June 3, 2014 at 11:20 am

I say this is BS. First of all, why would they be partying in the first class section, closest to the cockpit. Secondly, if there were other passengers, why didn't they hear anything from that area especially if they were "Partying like a frat" i think that anyone with hearing would know something was going on, and what flight doesnt have first class passengers on it. so there total BS

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