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?

Psycho Passenger

January 31, 2011 Passenger Stories

February 5, 2007 a friend and I were returning from western Canada to Ontario. My husband is a pilot so we were on family passes. It was a large plane with two first class sections separated by curtains and 3 rows of seats consisting of 2 seats an aisle, 3 seats an aisle, and 2 […]

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Middle Seat Maneuver

January 28, 2011 Seat Stories

I was on an international flight from Amsterdam to San Francisco. Luckily, I had the aisle seat. Unfortunately the middle seat was empty. Additionally, I was directly behind one of the service areas so both my bags were in the overhead bin. The flight was fairly full but there were still open seats. About 1 […]

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An Absolute Raving Ahole

January 26, 2011 Passenger Stories

I never upgrade. This isn’t because I’m cheap, but because I’m broke. My fiancée and I are in the middle of immigration hell and immigration hell costs, so while others may be able to choose that option, I can’t. That said, I sometimes wish I could… This has resulted in hellish flights, but this time […]

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Passive Aggressive Passenger

January 25, 2011 Passenger Stories

I am generally a very considerate person and I realize that we are all sharing a relatively small space when flying. That being said, I must admit that I have had my fair share of passive aggressive moments. My favorite one was being stuck in front of two preppy, whiny, teenage girls who were about […]

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Vignettes From Heck

January 16, 2011 Odds & Ends Stories

None of the following vignettes really raise up to a level of “hell,” but they were certainly inconveniences. The first: In 1977 I was invited to a conference in Lynchburg, VA for high school students. My father arranged the flight through his employer (AT&T). When I went to the airport to fly home, Piedmont had […]

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Happy New Year – Your Flight is Canceled

January 5, 2011 Delay/Cancellation Stories

I decided to visit my family in La Verne, California the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. There are several airports in the Los Angeles area, with Ontario International Airport being the closest one. I booked Delta flight 4756 from SLC to ONT the morning of Christmas Eve. Other than sitting next to a […]

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Prison Food

December 29, 2010 Food & Drink Stories

For a short while in 2002-2004 (can’t remember exactly when) Lufthansa started cutting costs on food. As a regular traveller at the time I was used to the free sandwich and free drinks offered on the Manchester-Frankfurt route. OK, it wasn’t the greatest food in the world, but to a hungry traveller it was pleasant, […]

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Cascading Mechanical Problems

December 26, 2010 Delay/Cancellation Stories

I was on DL 5982, which was slowly delayed in increments, as the airline apparently attempted to wait for weather to worsen to cover for a mechanical failure. Eventually the flight was cancelled, and it took hours to get rebooked and put up in a hotel overnight. The next day, on DL 3957, the plane suffered… another mechanical […]

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May Your Travels be Safe and Trouble Free

December 25, 2010 Non-Stories

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Sumo Baby Tantrum

December 21, 2010 Baby & Kid Stories

I was traveling on business and unable to obtain an upgrade with miles for the return flight from Tokyo to Detroit. So I was seated in ‘preferred economy’ at bulkhead (aka premium cattle-class). I’ve been there before and began to fear the worst as I scoped out the passengers waiting at the gate.  Muttering to […]

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Passenger Interrupts FA’s Party

December 19, 2010 Attendant & Pilot Stories

I was flying Qantas on a flight from SYD to LAX. I was, of course, in cattle class. Midway through the flight I went up to the galley to request a coffee. There were 3-4 FA’s in there having an uproarious chat about something or other. I asked if I could get a coffee and one […]

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Astounded by Huge Hairdo and Portly Passenger

December 15, 2010 Portly Stories

This isn’t really a flight from hell… but it could have been for two passengers! However, it was Scrimmy to the rescue! *Play Heroic Theme Music* Okay, really… I’m quite small. 4’10 and a whopping eighty-nine pounds. Petite little lady, am I. It’s not unusual for people to ask me if I know where my mommy and […]

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