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?

Should I Board Or Not?

February 3, 2010 Airport Stories

So, this was my first time flying alone internationally to India without anyone. I was excited to have that experience without my parents, especially since they ask tooo many questions such as the gate, the flight time, etc. My experience started at Detroit with a very rude spokesperson for Northwest. I had no idea that […]

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Working The System

February 2, 2010 Airport Stories

In August of 2008, my daughter, wife and I flew from St. Louis to Jackson Hole, WY with Frontier Airlines. We connected through Denver. We planned somewhat poorly, with our last day in Yellowstone being our daughter’s last day of summer vacation. But we did have a great trip… at least until our attempt to […]

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Little Kitty’s Wild Ride

February 2, 2010 Animal Stories

Several years ago my father adopted a stray kitten and decided to ship it to me when I was in the military stationed in Georgia. So I went to the Augusta airport to meet kitty’s flight and on the way got stuck in a massive traffic jam and was a little late. I walked into […]

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Rage Over Reclining Seat

February 1, 2010 Seat Stories

In January 2008, I was flying in Coach on Lufthansa from JFK to FRA. As the flight was expected to be shorter than usual, I decided to try to get as much sleep as possible, so immediately after takeoff I reclined my seat and began to doze off. However, as a Greek woman immediately behind […]

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Yapping Dog

February 1, 2010 Animal Stories

Last year I flew across country from San Diego to Hartford during the holidays. As I was waiting near the gate I noticed woman talking to her dog that she had enclosed in a pet carrier. I didn’t think much of it since pets are allowed on some flights. As soon as the flight took […]

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Left Holding The Bag

January 31, 2010 Odds & Ends Stories

A few years ago, I boarded a flight on AA and took my window seat in coach.  As I sat, I felt a lump in the seat under my rear, so I reached and encountered something large, paper and squishy.  I stood back up to look, and found that someone had stuffed a barf bag […]

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Bummed Out Over Paying For Blanket

January 31, 2010 Odds & Ends Stories

I was travelling from San Francisco to Vancouver, BC to visit family and I was 6 months pregnant. I was flying alone, and although I was having a good pregnancy I would easily get cold, hungry, etc. I would carry granola bars, etc. in case I got hungry, but I got cold on the flight […]

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Condom Causes Confusion

January 30, 2010 Airport Stories

My mother, sister and I fly to Augusta, Maine every summer for a few weeks to visit my grandmother and uncle who have a summer home on a tree farm there. We live in Utah, so naturally it is a long boring flight. So back in the summer of 2005 I turned 18 and we […]

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Sympathetic Words From A Stranger

January 29, 2010 Baby & Kid Stories

I was always one of those single working ladies in my 20’s who couldn’t stand kids, especially on flights! I hated the little creatures and their mothers. Fast forward a few decade later and I became a mother! (be careful kid haters). My first and last flight with my two year old son was taken […]

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Angry Over CPAP Alert

January 29, 2010 Luggage Stories

I, like many others, suffer from “Sleep Apnea” and use a device that keeps my airway open while I sleep. It is called a “CPAP” machine, which stands for Constant Positive Air Pressure. When I travel, the device and accessories fit neatly in my carry-on bag which is then subject to a search by our […]

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Man Claims Overhead Bin Baggage Rights

January 29, 2010 Luggage Stories

I was on a Delta MD-80 that was fully booked going from Cincinnati to Atlanta. Everyone was seated and we were waiting to leave the gate when a last minute traveler boarded with a very large carry on suitcase. All the passengers watched in silence as this man opened the overheads looking for a place […]

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Post-Wedding Flight Fiasco

January 29, 2010 Delay/Cancellation Stories

July 2007. My mother and I flew down to Georgia for my cousin’s wedding. The wedding was lovely and everything was great until we attempted to return home (our flight was scheduled for 6pm Sunday). First off there was a 20 minute delay boarding the plane for unknown reasons; once all passengers were boarded there […]

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