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?

Motormouth And A Head Cold

June 13, 2010 Passenger Stories

It was June 2003 and I had just moved to Georgia because I had been stationed there with the Navy. I was taking a flight from Columbia, SC to Boca Raton, FL to meet my at-the-time boyfriend’s grandparents. Thankfully it was a short flight. I had been dealing with a freaky (for me) head cold […]

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The Cliched Flight

June 12, 2010 Passenger Stories

The last flight I took was a painful cliche. I boarded to find myself next to a row on the left with a Indian looking mom/daughter who had no qualms over chit chatting in Hindu non stop, quite loud too. It was hard to believe the other was listening as they were both talking simultaneously… […]

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Peeved Over Passenger’s Preferential Treatment

June 11, 2010 Seat Stories

This is not near as bad as some of the other stories but it really irritated me. I received the call on December 11 that my mother had passed away from complications of polycystic kidney disease. I had made it through two full capacity flights and my third flight from Chicago to Atlanta was on […]

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Nightmare Flight On Scare India

June 10, 2010 Odor Stories

Just have to say that this site has been an oasis to me – to reflect and perhaps even laugh about the calamities we encounter in commercial aviation. One such nightmare was onboard Air India, or “Scare India” as my family called it then. On or around 1998 I was travelling from DXB to BKK and was […]

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Vino Is Verboten

June 10, 2010 Airport Stories

Whatever you do, do NOT take a bottle of wine from the fridge at the Air New Zealand Business/First lounge at Auckland International Airport! Even if you ask a waitress if it is OK (and she says No Problem), you will be confronted by the Manager who will ask if you are travelling alone. And […]

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Shocked About Search

June 9, 2010 Airport Stories

My story happened several years ago, but it still irritates me. I was flying from New York to Michigan with a family friend who was a minor at the time. We had already had a horrible time just getting to the airport (a transformer overheated and caused a minor blackout in Manhattan, shutting down the […]

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Traveler Bypasses Mob Scene

June 8, 2010 Airport Stories

I’ve been flying for most of my career, so I’ve seen my share of aborted landings, drunks, medical issues and, of course, my share of delays. But this evening I hope never to repeat. The scene: Nashville Tennessee to Chicago Illinois, August 2007 My flight was scheduled to depart at around 7:00pm, and I had […]

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Surly Ticket Agent

June 7, 2010 Airport Stories

The flight itself was actually fine – it was getting on it that was really annoying. About 3 or 4 years ago my husband and I had a weekend trip to Vegas planned with a direct flight on American Airlines from DFW to Vegas around 10:30am on a Friday. On Thursday afternoon, the day before […]

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Perv With No Boundaries

June 6, 2010 Passenger Stories

[Mature content] I’m from Miami but lived and worked in London for a bit. I was a savvy traveler back in the day before 9/11 and would always book my transatlantic flight for business in the States to/from Miami so I could spend some down time for play in my hometown before returning back to […]

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Madness In Moroccan And Madrid Airports

June 5, 2010 Airport Stories

Last year, I sent this email to my friends after an amazing trip from Morocco to Brussels. Don’t get me wrong – I love Morocco. You just have to have a sense of humor sometimes! Went to the airport in Ouarzazate for the 6 am flight. There were 2, both leaving at the same time, […]

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A Near Collision?

June 4, 2010 Airplane Stories

I’ve been a frequent business travel for many years and have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of reading the stories posted on sites like these. I never thought my experiences were worth posting – until this morning. I had the 6:00 AM flight from LGA to Dulles, VA. I knew bad weather was coming […]

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First Class Can Mean No Class!

June 4, 2010 Passenger Stories

I was on a Chicago to Orange County flight in first class next to a man with obviously no manners. Boarding had just begun and as usual first class passengers board first. My assigned seat was by the bulk head window. By the time I got to my seat, the passenger in the aisle seat had his sunglasses […]

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