Can't always choose your fellow passenger !
 

This is rather fun . . . . .

- People you don't want to sit next to on a plane - AOL Travel

. . . . . . . we've all been there - - - haven't we ? ! !

Bananas.
 

Memories of a flight UK -USA.
Flight full so no chance of a seat change.
I have a reaction to the smell of Bananas, makes me feel physically Sick.
Sat next to a couple who for the whole flight only eating Bananas!!!!
I spent the whole flight with Handkerchief in hand to cover my Nose every time they tucked into said Bananas. Boy did they get through a lot as well.
So for me this has to be my biggest fear of a repeat Pax. experience.
And before any comments on were they Human, they sure were.!!!!!

Green Pringles
 

Every time someone opens a tub of onion and sour cream pringles, i want to vomit... and the smell seems to span about 5 rows.

I am allergic to coffee. Recall a flight LHR/ABN. It was first of the day and BMI were boasting of their new breakfast service in Club. This included serving large mugs of freshly made coffee that was meant to be as good as filter - without having the filters on the a/c.

Normally, I can get away from the coffee smell if it is stoo strong but the bloke next to me quaffed his ten gallon (it seemed to me) bucket of coffe and smacked his lips - turning to me to tell me how wonderful it was. Then noticed I had the fine cotton napkin across my nose and mouth ... I explained that he had better keep the coffee away from me, to save me the trouble of redispensing my breakfast over him. :yuk:

Looking through the suggestions on the link - I could tell stories about some of them darned kiddiwinks.

Had a "wonderful" flight back from JFK on BA when I had the joys of sitting beside someone who obviously ate a lot of curries, which was obvious because he had "curry-flavoured" BO. Not fun

Then there was also the trip back from Chicago which involved having someone who needed a seatbelt extension and was a god-botherer to boot. And, in actual fact, he was not a problem in the slightest, one of the best behaved people I have ever been sat beside.

I had a nice frenchman as a neighbour on a Miami to Paris flight, that is until we took off and his Tourettes/speaking exactly what he was thinking about those around him at every given moment syndrome kicked in. It was half entertaining, half terrifying. Luckily the flight was over in 5hrs and 20mins thanks to a very strong jetstream.


Regards


SHJ

"Mr Stiff" - eww, come on, that's really clutching at straws to fill your copy quota, even more than a man drowning in a sea of light turbulence ...

I used to think I had it down to a fine art. Admittedly only on short haul - but on Ryanair when online check-in meant priority boarding, pick a seat near to the front where an older traveller had stalwartly placed himself in the aisle seat - chances were that with 2 grumpy old f***ers and being so near to the front all the gadabout trippers would carry on traipsing down a bit to find the perfect seat that Destiny had in store for them ... many times ended up being just the two of us in the row on a packed plane. I saw other regulars getting up to similar tricks ...

But sit in a window seat on your own and guaranteed that Fatso would make a beeline for you as being an unimposing, amenable type to sit next to ...

Good trick on the "free seating" lo-co airlines to ensure an empty seat next to you, is grab the barf bag as soon as you sit down, and look like your going to be ill. Works every time.

:ok:

Hey Baron Chotzinoff - pick a seat near to the front where an older traveller had stalwartly placed himself in the aisle seat - chances were that with 2 grumpy old f***ers and being so near to the front all - please be so good as to say hullo to me next time you sit next to me on an FR flight !

Does suggest to me that on LoCos one could usefully strike up a relationship before boarding, like at a cocktail party one could 'circulate' and select a compatible partner for when you've boarded. ALL THE PRETTY YOUNG SLIM GIRLS WEARING NICE PERFUME LINE UP OVER HERE, PLEASE.

This might explain it ...

Why holidays can be bad for your health
World Health Organisation issues warning on stress and offers tips for travellers
By Jeremy Laurance, Health editor
Travel is said to broaden the mind – but it can also damage it, experts say.In an unprecedented move, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning that the stress of international travel can lead to mental disorder in vulnerable people.
Why holidays can be bad for your health - Health News, Health & Wellbeing - The Independent

The bit that got my attention was ...
"Psychiatric emergency" is one of the most common medical reasons for evacuation by air ambulance, along with injury and heart disease, the WHO report says. Up to 100 patients a week are brought back to the UK by air ambulance, according to the British Ambulance Association, and many more are returned on commercial aircraft, mostly accompanied by medical staff.

Ah yes
 

The free screaming baby in the row behind upgrade.

The last dozen or so flights I seem to have been 'upgraded'

I've got to the point I'm able to blank it out, I know it's not
the babys fault, it can't clear it's ears on climb / descent so
there's not a lot anyone can do....

The flight back from Cancun to Newark last year though was a a
different matter.

4hrs next to a New Joysey New York staunch Republican cabbie...

with some err.... interesting political views.

Somehow that turned into a really really long flight, he was quite surprised
that a Brit knew about Kent State and Bull Connor...

He wasn't rude, just persistantly annoying and opinionated even
diving into a book didn't work!

DaveA

Talking of the 'bonus' baby, never mentioned in the publicity material. My late step father used to say that the airline always kept a spare baby in a cupboard at check-in. So that, when he checked in, if by any chance no baby had shown up - they could quickly take the spare baby out and place it in the neighbouring row ... :sad: