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?

Flying Purgatory Vignettes

November 11, 2018 Odds & Ends Stories

Here are a few vignettes I’ve been saving up. Not flights from hell, perhaps, but certainly purgatory.

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Plan to Meet Brother on Plane Goes Awry

October 28, 2018 Airport Stories

My flight on Delta was delayed by 26 minutes. The counter person generously upgraded me to the 12th row so I could make my connecting flight in SLC. I thought to myself, okay… we can do this, the layover is 1 hour. While on the flight, I noticed that the Flight Tracker showed our plane […]

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Turbulence, Tantrums & Poopy Pants

June 6, 2018 Baby & Kid Stories

My flight from hell happened in October of 2012. Everything went wrong on so many levels that we’ll just start from the top.

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Seat Assignment & Flight Schedule Snafus

May 31, 2018 Odds & Ends Stories

This story took place on March 30, 2018. We left our home at 5:30 am to catch Alaska Airlines Flight 2092 out of Redmond, Oregon to Portland. All seemed normal until we passed through security. I happened to check the flight schedule board and discovered that the flight was delayed from a 7:15 am departure to […]

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The “Fixed” Plane

March 23, 2018 Airplane Stories

So, last minute family trip – DCA to MSP on Delta. For those who don’t know, Washington National (DCA) isn’t exactly the largest airport, and that includes the runway.

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Sickened by Soiled Seat

March 22, 2018 Odor Stories

Travelling business class from Manila (MNL) to Narita (NRT) last Friday, a middle-aged man ambled onto the plane with a cane. His face looked very pained as he got into the seat next to me, which I put down to walking with a cane.

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Prohibited from Sitting in Paid, Upgraded Seats

January 7, 2018 Seat Stories

Dear Flights From Hell. I read an article on your site regarding a passenger’s poor experience with Etihad Airways and felt it was important to fellow passengers that I share my own.

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Terrifying Turbulence Causes Passenger to Puke

November 12, 2017 Weather Stories

A few years ago I was flying from Toronto Pearson International (YYZ) to Cozumel International (CZM) on an Air Canada Airbus A320-200. Now, take note that I am an experienced flier, and even as a baby on a plane I barely cried. Now, as an adult, this is the flight that made tears fall, and killed […]

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