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?

Leader Of The Pack

May 15, 2010 Airport Stories

For several years, my family and I lived outside of London in the UK. Being Americans, each summer we’d always try to travel back to the States to see friends and family for a couple weeks. This time, my mom and I were flying from London Heathrow airport to Dallas-Ft. Worth by way of a […]

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The Amorous Seatmate

May 14, 2010 Couples Stories

On a recent redeye from LAX to BWI, I was traveling alone on a chock-full plane, seated beside a skinny, nasal-voiced couple in their late 20s. The woman had the window, her boyfriend the center, and myself, the aisle. Despite the fact that it was 11pm when we took off, their conversation and canoodling looked […]

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Arm Rest Etiquette Question

May 14, 2010 Flying Hell Commentary

What’s the proper etiquette in sharing an arm rest? I’m a tall person and will not hog an arm rest if I’m sitting next to anyone. However, I do not get that same respect. Someone will sit next to me and stretch their arms out on the arm rests. I’m not a passive person but […]

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Mr. & Mrs. Jumbo

May 13, 2010 Portly Stories

Several of these Portly Stories are similar to my experience. In all the years I have been flying this was the most uncomfortable flight. Maybe not hellish to some, but when you are dead tired on a red eye, it feels hellish. Boarded a red eye from Las Vegas to Atlanta. Located my window seat […]

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Purgatory On The Way To Peru

May 12, 2010 Odds & Ends Stories

This actually goes back to the mid 70’s. I was on a non-stop from Miami to Lima, Peru, and unlucky enough to get a middle seat. A couple of oversize Peruvian ladies, who had just bought out half the stores in Miami, and were carrying all their booty (this was before overhead bins and hand […]

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Exasperation Over Engine

May 12, 2010 Delay/Cancellation Stories

We were flying to Orlando Sanford a few years ago on Monarch Airlines from Newcastle. The flight was supposed to depart at 8:30 in the morning. At about 8:00 we began to board. We sat on board the aircraft for 15 minutes when an announcement was made. The flight was delayed for several hours. We […]

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“Friendly Guy” Pesters Passenger

May 11, 2010 Passenger Stories

I was flying from Atlanta to Honolulu in 2005. This was the 4th or 5th trip from the east coast to the Hawaiian Islands that year, so I was not particularly looking forward to the flight. We were delayed an hour at the gate for no particular reason. So when we were seated I was […]

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Feeding Frenzy And Arousal

May 10, 2010 Portly Stories

[Mature content] I was on a flight from Dallas to DC, and I got stuck in the middle seat due to last minute changes. As usual, whenever I get stuck with a middle seat, a very large person gets the seat next to me. I am a male with a muscular upper body, so I […]

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Trashy Teen Called The C-Word

May 9, 2010 Seat Stories

[Mature content] My partner and I had just attended a wedding in Palm Springs and flew the last flight of the day out to PHX, which was our layover to PDX. We were tired from a long week of fun and festivities and were due to work the next morning. I boarded the plane, sat […]

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Tuna Breath

May 8, 2010 Odor Stories

I was once on a flight from my childhood home of Burlington VT to Atlanta. I spent the weekend with some old friends from high school. The night before my flight was spent sitting on bar stools, doing what old friends tend to do. We stayed up late into the night and I was prepared […]

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Smaller Isn’t Always Better!

May 8, 2010 Airplane Stories

I often fly on both large airliners and smaller aircraft. I almost always prefer flying on noisy, drafty and sometimes rickety small airplanes instead of airliners because small aircraft travel means no hassles with luggage, security and those annoying other passengers. Naturally, I didn’t think too much of getting on to a Twin Otter to […]

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Chatty Cathy

May 7, 2010 Passenger Stories

I had a 6:30am flight from San Diego to Philadelphia. I was soooo tired, and barely awake getting on the plane. I had the emergency exit row with two seats. There is a young woman in her mid-20’s sitting next to where I would be sitting. I found a place to put one bag, and […]

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