What's your idea of the worst possible nightmare commercial flight?

[justinbrett]

Having to wear a mask for 15 hours over the Pacific.

No wait, that already happened,,,,

 

[gaz0303]

How about a snake under your seat - ABC news

 

[jase05]

Flying Y even on a 1hr flight is enough of a nightmare but I couldn’t ever fathom going long haul in Y these days. Glad those days are long behind me

 

[John in Melbourne]

I couldn’t ever fathom going long haul in Y these days.

I totally agree!!

 

[Seat0B]

Back in the early 1980s I did a SYD-LHR flight in economy on BA (then known as Bloody Awful) - in the smoking section all the way. I’m a non smoker with allergies. It was BA - I coughed and wheezed the whole way, had a foul headache and a temper to match it.

It happened because the original flight Mr Seat 0A (then just the boyfriend) and I had booked was cancelled and this was the only alternative they were willing to offer. We were young, time poor, cash poor and inexperienced, so felt no choice but to accept. OMG it is more than 40 years ago and I can still smell the smells and feel all the feels!

And bless him, we still got married 18 months after that debacle. He certainly saw my bad side.

 

[Seat0B]

Oh or how about being pregnant (unexpectedly) and having the world’s worst morning sickness all the way from JFK-LAX-SYD-MEL and then bus to city and finally train for 3.5 hrs to Sale. Lost count of the number of sick bags that were used. Also, my apologies to all those seated near me for that extensive journey. I’m sure you didn’t enjoy it either.

 

[Lost Redditor]

Crashing and dying...anything else is FWP.

What's FWP?

 

[flyingfan]

What's FWP?

First world problems.

 

[Milefest]

Middle seat and/or flying on a LCC.

I'm probably in the minority but I love flying even if it's a Y long haul sector. Being in the air is my happy place

 

[JohnK]

@Hvr my wife seriously asked if her and daughter can fly on separate flights to me. I have not yet come across anyone who even remotely comes close to my luck.

My horror flight would be stuck in middle seat in economy with the passengers either side bigger than me.

I do recall one time on Virgin I think where I had aisle seat and the person next to me in middle seat was bigger than me and could not get armrest down and oblivious to anything going on around them. I asked to be moved and luckily there was one spare aisle seat on the entire flight. The passenger next to me then had 2 seats to themselves but what would have happened if flight was full and passenger could not get armrest down? Turn blind eye?

 

[Forg]

^ If the overflow of the passenger next to you was poking you in the eye, then yeah …

Seems to me the airlines rely on the shame of overweight people to deal with situations like that.

 

[exceladdict]

The only original thing I can add to the above is an extremely pungent food is served after you've been delayed, rebooked, rerouted, forced to stay seated due to turbulence, had your stomach emptied, and been kept awake for 16.5 hours for any of the litany of reasons already shared - while in the middle of the middle, back row, nonreclining seat near the toilets in a cramped cabin on an refurbished older LCC aircraft with broken/inexistent IFE and no air vents.

 

[gaz0303]

Swap a child from above with a load snorer. They fall asleep fast in any class. Not only do they keep you awake, but you also know that the snorer is getting solid sleep.

 

[exceladdict]

Swap a child from above with a load snorer. They fall asleep fast in any class. Not only do they keep you awake, but you also know that the snorer is getting solid sleep.

Oh yes, my recent long haul had someone very loudly bragging about the fact they were asleep!

(Though I understand sometimes it's not the snorers fault).

 

[Forg]

Ah, but if you’re in Y you’re not sleeping & you never thought you would.
I guess if you get bumped to Y after boarding for some reason.

Regarding the serving of the pungent meal … are their LCC’s where people bring their own, and tuck into their durian? I sorta imagine nobody who offers a 14hr hell-leg would have that, but does it exist?

 

[Blackadder]

Flight to Sydney diverted to Newcastle due to evening storms, then the said storm system follows you up the coast causing a ground delay in Newcastle , putting the crew over their hours.
Therefore bustitued back to Sydney , arriving some 7 hours after the flight was due to arrive.

 

[Virgin Bart]

This happened to a friend:
Longhaul flight, economy, developed food poisoning. Couldn't quite make it to the loo in time.

That is a genuine nightmare

 

[dajop]

The worst possible nightmare flight, I could ever imagine, reallly goes without saying. Everything else is just a temporary inconvenience.

 

[Scarlett]

Y, longhaul, overnight.

 

[Cappuccino99]

Developed breathing problems mid Atlantic (ex LHR) and required oxygen. Then taken off the flight in LAX (scheduled stop) and not being allowed to continue journey to AKL on second flight till medically cleared a few days later. And then only being allowed to fly if connected to oxygen.

Luggage went merrily off to AKL without me so only had hand luggage for 4 days with one change of clothes!

My reward J seat from original flight was no longer available. Suddenly a seat in J was free as it had a broken recycling mechanism which I readily accepted as I needed to sit upright anyway.

Then receiving all the invoices for the above.... With insurance refusing to pay up as I didn't notify them I'd seen a GP a couple of days before flight with a cough (pre-covid days). Turned out to be pneumonia!

That was my nightmare true experience