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?

The Man With A Beret

October 5, 2009 Passenger Stories

As I was flying from Auckland NZ back to LA USA (a 12 hours flight), I got to sit next to an older European man with a beret. He said he was travelling around the world. But he smelled like he’d been at it for at least 3 days, both body odor and breath. I […]

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The Talkative Twit

October 4, 2009 Passenger Stories

On a recent flight to DC, I sat next to a desperate talker. To be clear, I love making conversations with strangers, but I was tired from a long weekend and flying into DC for a conference. I wanted to be alone in my own head for the 1 hour, 1 minute flight. However, as […]

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Pissed Off Passenger Pees

October 3, 2009 Passenger Stories

My fiancee and I were flying from Las Vegas to visit my brother in Chicago in July of ’08. Las Vegas, of course, has its own reputation and visitors can certainly get a bit out of hand. But I’d not seen anything like this before. We were seated near the rear of the aircraft so […]

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Little Johny Business Bastard

October 2, 2009 Passenger Stories

In early February I took a 3 day trip out to Oklahoma on a job seeking mission. Flew from FWA-DFW-OKC on the way out and TUL-DFW-ORD-FWA on the way back. I’m an aviation nut and always get a window with a good wing view. I enjoy flying… just not the hell you have to go […]

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Anxiety Attack

October 2, 2009 Illness/Medical Stories

In February of 2001 my granny passed away from a massive heart attack. As to be expected I was quite upset. At the time I was stationed in Ft. Lewis, Wa and my family was in Asheville, NC. I got the first flight out that I could which was early the next morning. I actually […]

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Eight Inches Of Seat

October 1, 2009 Portly Stories

Recently, I was on a CRJ flight out of DFW. I was among the first to board, but one of the largest men I have ever seen boarded before me. Of course, his seat was next to mine, on the 2 seat side of the plane. By the time I reached my seat, he had […]

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Molestation Or Malady?

September 30, 2009 Passenger Stories

I was recently flying back from Rome with my boyfriend, and we had booked our tickets at the last minute so we couldn’t get seats together. It was our own fault and unfortunate, but it wasn’t the end of the world and we didn’t try to change our seats. We boarded the plane and waved to […]

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Ruing The Rules

September 30, 2009 Luggage Stories

Having flown from Atlanta to Las Vegas in April 2008, we were well aware of Delta’s baggage rules. BUT, a week later upon checking in to return to Atlanta, we were told about new baggage fees. So we shuffled things together (in a rush, because seat selection was at the gate) and avoided the ‘extra […]

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Seated Next To A Celebrity Golf Pro

September 29, 2009 Passenger Stories

About 15 years ago, I was taking a trip from SFO to Montreal for a big convention/conference.  My flight connected in ORD.  There was a female co-worker of mine who was also travelling to the same conference (in fact there were 5 or 6 co-workers on the same flight).  She had managed to snag a […]

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Turbulence, Terror & Throw-Up

September 29, 2009 Weather Stories

A few months ago I was on a flight with my elderly mother from Delhi India to Agra India, home of the Taj Mahal. To begin with, our flight was delayed 5 hours due to dust storms. We waited all day at the airport and finally boarded a tiny Kingfisher Airlines propeller plane. The flight took […]

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When Is A Boarding Pass Not A Boarding Pass?

September 28, 2009 Delay/Cancellation Stories

Our family enjoyed a fun Disney cruise last summer to celebrate our youngest son’s graduation from high school. We flew JetBlue (5 of us). The flight and connecting flight down, no problems at all. The return was a different story. On our final night of the cruise, Disney, in their ever efficient way to make […]

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Business Buffoon

September 28, 2009 Passenger Stories

I am a business woman that travels frequently. I was already in my aisle seat on a recent flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City when a heafty man in a business suit approached my row and said to me, “If you will just scoot over missy I will sit in the aisle.” Now, I […]

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