What's the oddest thing you've ever had happen on a plane trip?

-- Al Schroeder (al.schroeder@nashville.com), December 23, 2000

Answers

As some people know, I've been clean and sober for almost 13 years. When I had a few months clean, my keen addict/alcoholic mind tried to tell me that drinks on the airplane wouldn't count, since my feet weren't on the ground! I told my head to go get drunk without me...

-- Sunshyn (sunshyn@lanset.com), December 26, 2000.

I took a trip to Amsterdam from England... it was supposed to be a day trip, but when we came back, it was, uh, interesting. First off, they didn't load us for hours, and when they did, we flew to Luton... and landed somewhere... off the runway. The lights went off. The lights went on. Stewardesses ( this was 1971, they were still stewardesses!) ran up and down the aisle. The lights went off. We started to list to starboard. The lights went on. The plane's right wheels sank into the mud, and we finally got off on the topside and got to the terminal by bus.

-- Jan (fossilfreak@geocities.com), December 26, 2000.

I am subject to panic attacks, a inheritance from my Grandmother. My family is from Belgium, and my Grandma had some severe turbulance on a overseas flight beofore, and now can't fly. I can fly but cannot sit at the window seat because watching the plane take off fills my mind with the worst possible scenarios.

-- AJ (joijoijoi@hotmail.com), December 27, 2000.

I fly on average about once every 2-3 weeks and I've had my luggage left in various places around the world many times before I decided to travel lightly ;) I've also missed a few flights and managed to get on the next one. Maybe I'm just used to odd things happening that I can't recall any right now, except maybe what happened yesterday on my flight from Wales to Amsterdam. It took off 10 minutes early!!! I was quite amazed by that :) It landed 5 minutes late too, due to very strong winds. As we were landing, the plane was tilted 5 degrees the whole time, to fight the strong winds.

hm, I just remembered one :) On 26/4/00, after 3 days and 3 nights of being on the plane, I was so used to seeing plane seats in front of me when I woke up, so much that the first night that I slept in a proper bed, I woke up not knowing where I was. It all looked so real yet so wrong and I was certain that I just had to be on the plane. That was my first consequence of travelling so much. I don't notice the jet lag because my sleeping patterns are all over the place anyway. *ramble ramble* :)

-- Ana Susanj (ana@myrrh.net), December 27, 2000.

I don't fly quite as much as Ana but I do fly a lot. A couple of months ago I got to the airport and was able to check my bag in at curbside and got my boarding pass a the same time -- all without having to stand in line. The airplane was ready on-time and we boarded on-time and I sat in seat 2B -- a complimentary upgrade to business class. My seat was roomy and comfortable and I had lots of leg room. The flight took off on-time and landed on-time. Since I was in the front of the plane I didn't have to wait and wait for everyone in front of me to get off first. I reached the luggage carousel before any of the luggage had arrived, but when the bags did come around, mine was one of the first ones. It was a very pleasant experience... certainly my oddest experience on a plane trip.

Jim

-- Jim (jimsjournal@yahoo.com), December 31, 2000.

I may have *been* someone's oddest experience on a plane trip. During a very stressful time in my life I found myself taking the last shuttle between New York's Kennedy and Boston's Logan Airport -- a twelve-seater prop plane. There was a lot of turbulence, I had been flying for two days, and I was literally sick and tired. While I didn't actually throw up, I clenched the seat ahead of mine (I was in the back seat), and began to mutter a pattern of curses. I basically swore my way from New York to Boston, assuming that the noise of the plane was covering the sound of my muttering. Assuming it, that is, until I looked up and met the flight attendant's eye, at the extreme front of the passenger compartment. She gave me a sympathetic smile and a headshake that let me know I had to cut it out. I often wonder what the other people on the flight thought of me. . . .

-- Tom Dean (tsd@ogk.com), January 02, 2001.

Well, not much odd has happened, but on a trip back from NY a few years ago, the captain told everyone to look out the right side of the plane (my side, happily), and there, looking like it was right next to us, was the Hale Bop comet. IT was pretty awesome.

ally

-- Ally (ally3223@aol.com), January 02, 2001.

Some years ago, as an employee of a government contractor I had been vetted, paper work filled out, shots taken, yadda, yadda. My arrival date in Bangkok was set, airline reservations secured. I arrived in Frisco the day the flight attendants for my outgoing flight went on strike and my outgoing flight was cancelled. I ran from one counter to another and finally found a Northwest Orient flight going to Hong Kong but they told me that they could not get me to Bangkok. It being the only game in that town at that time I decided to play the hand I was dealt. Hoping for favorable events to occur.

On arrival at Hong Kong we were herded into a transient lounge and not allowed into the airport premises any further than that. Not having any luck at arranging to be a passenger on another flight to Bangkok. I figured that the company would be in violation of their contract if I didn't show and also I was one hell of a long way from home. I went for broke, when they announced the loading for the flight to Bangkok, I proceeded to the aircraft with everyone else. Got comfortable in a seat and waited for the show to begin.

All the way to Bangkok the attendants were tring to figure where that extra passenger came from. Every time they would approach me I would show them my military orders, and tell them I was legal (Oooh what a liar). Eventually we landed and I deplaned - retrieved my baggage and found a hotel for my stay. High adventure, what would have happened if I was left somewhere, high and dry ? ? ? ?

Aaaah ! But there is a snort of laughter at the end. I arrived in Bangkok when the city if not the whole country was observing a weeks holiday -- something about the king (the one of Anna and the King of Siam) whatever . . . . so for a week I would go to the headquarters where I was supposed to report, nobody home though. I would spend the rest of the day sightseeing around town and its environs. Finally, one day when I went to Headquarters someone was there, I gave them my papers they looked them over and remarked, "You were supposed to report a week ago where you been ?" I calmly told the man that I had been at his door everyday the past week and nobody was there and asked him, "Where the hell were you guys? " Hilarious in retrospect.

-- Denver doug (ionoi@webtv.net), January 05, 2001.

Ok. It was the early 80s, and I was working for an oil survey crew in Pocatello, Idaho. We had just started our monthly break. I had set up a series of flights back to Fresno, CA. The itinerary ran Pocatello to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake to San Francisco, SF to Fresno. The flight to Salt Lake was very bumpy, with luggage literally flying through the aisles. I was very relieved to arrive in Utah, only to discover that my flight had been overbooked, and I had no seat. I was told I had to wait until a later flight, which meant that I would miss my connection in SF. At the last minute, I was called to the counter and told that there had been a cancellation and I was assigned a new seat and allowed to board the plane. As I took my seat, I noticed that all of the people around me were wearing identical jackets with the logo for the band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, on the back and breast. The New Riders, for those who don't remember them, were a Grateful Dead type band leftl- over from the Summer of Love period. I was seated next to a rather attractive young blonde and a guy I soon discovered was her boyfriend. They explained that this was the road crew for the band, and that it was one of their mates who had cancelled. As the conversation went on, it somehow came up that this guy had gone to junior high with me in Southern CA, about ten years earlier. He was a year ahead of me, and we had never met, but he knew the names of people I remembered. They seemed to be a nice couple. When we arrived in SF, I was dismayed to discover that the airline I had booked to Fresno had gone out of business that evening and cancelled all of its flights, leaving me without a ride home. I called the train station and found that I had missed the last one going my way. But Greyhound said that they had a bus leaving in a few hours. A quick call to a taxi company revealed that a ride from the airport to the bus terminal would cost me about 20 bucks. At this point, I ran into my acquaintances from the plane. Once I explained my situation, they made me an offer. They had no cash, and it cost $18 to get their car out of long-term parking. If I would pay that, they'd be happy to give me a lift. "Ok, It's a deal." "Could you give us a hand with our luggage?" I figured it was the least I could do. We went to the baggage claim and picked up several bags. The guy handed one of the two largest to me. I took it. We exited the terminal, found their car, I paid the fee. We drove out and onto the freeway. After a few minutes, the girl turned to me and asked me if I could get something out of that bag for her. It was on the rear seat next to me, so, of course, I opened it. Inside was an incredible amount of marijuana. I mean, an INCREDIBLE amount. I had just carried it out of the airport. I must of had some look of shock on my face, because she says, "We figured you were innocent, so you wouldn't act suspicious." True to their word, they dropped me at the Greyhound station. I was early, so I went and got dinner, then wandered around. Later, I caught the bus home to my wife. Have never forgotten that trip, though.

-- Mark K. Brown (kickaha23@aol.com), January 05, 2001.

Flying home from vacation, the Flight Attendants devised a trivia question... Name all the presidents with 4 letters in their last names. First one wins a bottle of wine. I was taking a History course and had my book open to study during the flight. Guess who cheated(?) and took home a bottle of wine?

-- Tricia Bassett (tmb1022@juno.com), April 29, 2001.