45 Shocking Moments When Rude Passengers Met Their Match Mid-Flight—and Didn’t See It Coming
“Um, could I get you to move them so I can get comfortable?” I didn’t want to touch someone else’s property, let alone their shoes because … well … ewww.
His rotund girth couldn’t reach them, so the lady got up so I could move out of his way. He grunted and he fished them out. He slid them under my seat and I said I was going to put mine there and he bent down again and finally moved them under his seat, grumbling something incoherent, but nothing complimentary, and staring darts at me.
I finally sat down and had to ask him to pull my seatbelt from under his backside. He cussed several times I believe.
It wasn’t very comfortable, but I am former military and 2x divorced, and can put up with being uncomfortable for very long periods of time.
We’re in the air and he keeps knocking my elbow off the armrest. We get food and he bumps me when I drink, making it look almost accidental. I turn my air on because of the odor and he turns his on and forces it as best he can toward me. (No, I know I am smelling clean)
I close my eyes after the meal and he keeps opening and closing the window shade. It annoys the everyone in the area. He keeps “adjusting” himself in his seat, bumping into me, keeping me from sleeping. It was a continuous 12 and a half hours of him being as discourteous as he could without crossing a line where I say something or begin retaliation, like farting loudly as I bend and stretch my back.
The woman and I, she a grandmother to seven and me expecting my first grandson late this month, had a number of friendly conversations and I wished her the best as the plane began de-boarding.
The man on the other hand, since he was by the window, had to wait for me to get out of the row to get his case. I, on the other hand, was not in a hurry. I had a seven hour layover and had plenty of time. I allowed the six other rows behind me to get off the plane before me, saying I had to get my backpack from the overhead.
The jerk in the window seat said not to me “Come on, all ready,” in a stage whisper and I know I didn’t hear him. I just kept smiling and letting the back of the plane unload. When they were all out, a guy who had seen my backpack grabbed it for me as he was getting his carry on. Maybe he’d seen what the jerk had done for 12 hours. I was able to be the second to the last off the plane.
He ended up being one of the very last getting off the plane. I almost hit him with my backpack as I swung it on my back. He pushed by me, disgruntled, once we got on the jetway. He was grumbling about being late. He was already huffing and all I could do was think “It must be tough being a jerk all the time.”
tl;dr
Guy was a jerk for 12 hours. I made his last few minutes uncomfortable.
So this happened during COVID. For some context I was based in Hong Kong at the time and the lady involved was in China ( Beijing) trying to get home to South Africa to avoid lock down.
So the destinations are South African.
So my wife and I are good at saving and were planning to go home for the Easter holidays but unfortunately due to lock down we couldn’t.
Now I was part of an expat group and many people were stuck as they had just arrived in China often with little money and now needed to get back home.
So my wife and I decided to help some people get home. We helped 10 people get back home. We didn’t expect to be paid back, however most people did over time
Now there was one lady let’s call her Mel. Mel was stuck in Beijing and needed to buy a ticket home. But she had no money due to circumstances etc.
So I contacted her and offered her a ticket home. She gladly accepted. I told her this is my budget and I will work within that budget.
Now one thing to note is that rather than send money, I would book the ticket for the person.
Mel demanded that I book a direct flight from Beijing to Johannesburg and then book a regional flight to East London. Now both are very expensive.
I offered to book a cheaper indirect flight via Dubai or Ethiopia. So the flight would be 3 legs instead of 2.
Now Mel was having none of this and basically said it’s direct as possible or nothing.
So I ignored her for a week or so and helped someone else who was extremely greatful.
With a week before lock down happened Mel frantically contacted me and said she would take any flight
Now the petty revenge.
I obliged with a 3 stop itinerary ( think 40 hours) with the final stop in Johannesburg the main city.
The kicker? I booked a bus ticket ( 20 hours) for the leg from Johannesburg to East London.
Mel kept me updated and was livid the whole time. I didn’t get paid back but the messages I got after her trip were gold. When she found out that I had booked her a bus ticket for the final leg she was broken at this point.
TLDR: Good Samaritan made entitled traveller take the long way home.
Several months ago I was in a very crowded flight, but at least I had the window seat. There were the usual two seats next to me, middle seat and aisle seat, both full.
I always have sympathy for the guy stuck in the middle seat on a plane. It sucks. So I don’t use the armrest, and I try to lean into the little gap of space offered by the window. I’m fairly short, so I don’t mind keeping my legs a little to the side too, basically making sure middle seat gets all of their space. I’ve done this a dozen times before, and the person stuck in the middle has always stuck to their space. I’ve even been thanked for it.
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