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?

Harried Traveler Stressed about Lost Luggage

March 31, 2011 Luggage Stories

Not quite a full-on “from hell” story, but almost: I was flying from Syracuse, NY to St. Louis this past Christmas on United, with a connection in O’Hare. As you may be aware, Syracuse has snowy winters, but things weren’t too terribly bad on Dec. 23rd when I flew. I got to the airport on […]

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Passenger Defies FA’s Directive

March 28, 2011 Attendant & Pilot Stories

I was on a U.S. Dareways flight from Tucson to Atlanta last month (about a 3 hour flight) that was, for once, not full. I was in Group 4, so I boarded the plane nearly last, but there was plenty of overhead space and no issues with stowing carry-ons. As I approached my seat, I […]

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Pickle Breath and Senior Sally

March 25, 2011 Senior Stories

A16. I love that number. As anyone who flies Southwest knows, that’s a magical number. That number means you can sit just about anywhere you want. On this particular flight from Denver to Ont., California, I chose to sit in the aisle seat of the bulkhead. People streamed past me to further aisles. On the […]

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Questions for Delta

March 24, 2011 Flying Hell Commentary

Hello Delta Customer Service, I would like you to please help me answer a question. I am trying to figure out the following: Why would I ever fly Delta Airlines again? I had a non-direct flight that required me to switch terminals in the PHX airport in order to board a Delta flight. As soon […]

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Self-Important Commuter

March 17, 2011 Passenger Stories

This might not have been a flight from hell for the passengers, but it sure was for the service reps who had the misfortune of being on the service desk this inconvenient morning. I do a weekly cattle haul to Toronto out of Newark Airport and have been doing it for some time with a […]

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Stewing in Germ Filled Slime

March 15, 2011 Illness/Medical Stories

OK, just got back from a week away. On my final flight home (a little prop job) I encountered a family that was a bit disturbing. It started at the gate waiting for my connecting flight. A family of 7 entered the gate area (grandmother, grandfather, mother, father, 4 year old, 18 month old, infant) […]

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Boozed-Up Passenger with Nasal Problems

March 12, 2011 Passenger Stories

To get from Munich to Bangkok – choosing the cheapest option – you have to make a stop. Ours was in Dubai. Anyone who stops in Dubai Airport and is one of the few people who are still smoking: It is hell! There are two Smoker Rooms – both packed with people every minute of […]

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Qantas Practices New Sleep Deprivation Tactics – On Me

March 6, 2011 Delay/Cancellation Stories

Qantas Airways (Australia’s market leader) is obviously doing so well in the travel business, it’s decided to move in on the lucrative ‘torture of suspects’ business as well. Qantas’ opening foray into this market would appear to be the use of ‘sleep deprivation tactics’ and I was lucky enough to be one of the airline’s […]

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Passenger Singled Out for Peed Pants

March 2, 2011 Passenger Stories

I was on the way to Georgetown, Guyana. I left New York with a confirmed flight from Port of Spain, Trinidad on a flight originating in London which I would join for the short hop. I had an aisle seat next to a man who I eventually learned was named Panty or Pandy. He had […]

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Seating Arrangements Go Awry

February 22, 2011 Seat Stories

It was November 2009 and I was visiting my sister in Hawaii for Thanksgiving. I had booked tickets and seats (through Orbitz) for both of us and our kids to visit another island for a couple of days. I was checking all 6 of us in online and discovered that the seats that I had […]

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Blogs by Male Flight Attendants

February 20, 2011 Non-Stories

There are a number of blogs that do a commendable job describing the lifestyles and on-the-job experiences of flight attendants. The vast majority of them are written by women, reflecting the greater preponderance of women in the profession. While male FAs are a decided minority (approximately 26% of FAs in the U.S. are male), at […]

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Fumed Over Family’s Inconsideration

February 8, 2011 Passenger Stories

Wednesday, February 2nd, AA flight 1499 from Dallas, Texas to San Jose, CA. I am 6′ tall, long legs. I always book my flights way in advance to be sure that I can reserve an aisle seat to avoid being cramped. As we are boarding there is a mother, father and small child several people […]

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