Do you ever get on a flight and immediately know your neighbor crammed into the seat next to you is just going to be a problem the whole flight? Yea, I think we’ve all been there a time or two and really, more than not, the question is why are people so weird on airplanes? Nick and I have so many stories of weird people sitting next to us for the usually 8+ hours while traveling, crammed into seats within inches of these people. And over the years, I swear people’s boundaries and etiquette on airplanes just gets worse and worse. So today we’re reminiscing on some of my favorite bad airplane neighbor experiences over the years and yes, these all legitimately have happened, at one point or another.
Socks on my Seat Guy
On our way home from our layover in Iceland on this last trip in October, we loaded into our middle and aisle seats, got settled and waited to see who the lucky winner was for the window seat next to us. Low and behold our neighbor gets on towards the end of boarding, tries to find space for his luggage, grabs a huge pile of stuff from his bag (loading it into his arms), and proceeds to squeeze over to the window seat. Within minutes (before we’d even left our gate), he had his shoes off, feet with socks literally sprawled over to the back of the seat in front of me. No joke, this guys feet were directly in front of my legs, with his toes sort of resting on the top of the back of seat pouch. Long story short, I knew I couldn’t handle that for long, so when we happened (read: purposely) to take the water bottle out of that back seat pouch and it snapped on his toes, I couldn’t help but smile.
Disinfect Everything Lady
On our trip to Iceland a few years ago, we encountered a few different hilarious stories with our seat mates. This is the first and to this day Nick and I still joke about it whenever we get on an airplane. Our neighbor on this flight got in her seat, took our a giant tube of disinfecting wipes and proceeded to wash everything down. Literally everything from the armrests to the window shade, to the actual window. The tray table, the wall next to her, the top of the seat, literally nothing within a foot of her didn’t get disinfected. And I get wanting to wipe down your tray table and armrest, places you’ll be touching but this lady disinfected her seat so far that I guarantee you’d never actually touch any of those spots.
Condensation on my Window Woman
On that same trip to Iceland, we encountered something I’ve never quite seen before or since. The woman next to us in the window seat started freaking out upon our descent when ice crystals started forming on her window, which them proceeded to start dripping as we landed since we were going from very cold to warmer air. This is a pretty common thing on airplanes by the way and happens to me a lot when in a window seat. However this particular woman literally started hyperventilating, pressing her flight attendant call button a bunch of times, during which the flight attendants came to tell her that’s normal. She didn’t like that and proceeded to keep saying that her window wasn’t fitted properly if water was coming in. Long story short, the woman really never got over it until we were on the ground, which means it was a lovely descent for us next to her while she was freaking out.
Let’s Yell to Our Family Over Multiple Rows People
This particular incident happens a lot on my flights to Hawaii when you have large groups of people traveling together. Needless to say, it really isn’t necessary to yell over multiple rows of plane seats to people you know sitting rows back. Get up, walk back there and say what you need to say and then sit back down. The rest of us really don’t need to hear your life story while you shout over us.
Dannielle @ Chicadeedee says
Seriously, I don’t know why people are so crazy on planes! It’s like they don’t know how to function cramped among society, so they lash out and act nuts.
Casey says
Totally!!! It’s some weird psychological thing that happens when everyone is crammed together for hours on end!
Christy Poelker Rodriguez says
I honestly feel it’s an “each man for himself” mentality on airplanes. Neighbors be damned! We were flying from Bangkok to Sydney and the guy next to me took both armrests and RESTED HIS LEG ON MY LEG then faked sleep so I couldn’t say anything. I put a pillow on my leg to keep it from touching, bounced my legs for hours, was just generally annoying, but that did not deter him. HAH. Glad I’m not alone – your descriptions made me laugh!
Casey says
It’s totally that mentality on planes! And that story is so creepy! And it’s such an awkward moment too when you’re trying to figure out what to do.
Elizabeth says
This is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me on a plane – the guy sitting next to me fell asleep and in his sleep he put his arm around me. I couldn’t tell if he was asleep or not, so I promptly picked up his arm and laid it back on his lap. He woke up as I was doing this, and was so embarrassed that he kind of turned away from me and never turned back.
I’m still not sure if he was actually asleep or not, but it’s pretty weird/crazy nonetheless!
Casey says
That is so weird!!! And what do you do??? It’s super awkward and uncomfortable.
Emily Abernathy says
These are funny stories! I don’t have any great plane neighbor stories – mostly just a bunch of people who are rude and unpleasant.
Casey says
Yea I have lots of those too!!! People act like it’s ok to be their worst selves on planes.
Heatherolney says
The worst experience I ever had was on a flight back from Cuba. My husband and I were in the rear of the plane just one row from the last. We were on the right side in the two seaters. There was a French Canadian kind of hippy couple with two children. She in front of us with the daughter and he behind us with the son. They continually passed things back and forth over our heads for a couple of hours. The son who was old enough to know better was constantly back and forth between his Dad and Mum and constantly running up and down the aisle. It reached a point where the people in the center aisle were also beginning to get annoyed. Finally about three hours into the four hour flight to Vancouver the man opposite us in the center aisle stuck his foot out in the aisle as the boy ran past sending him sprawling onto the floor and snarling ” now sit the #$@#$ down !!” It stopped him from doing it but for the rest of the flight we had to listen to the Dad singing French Canadian folk songs at the top of his voice with the son singing the chorus. Grrrrrrrrr
Casey says
Hahahaha this story seriously had me laughing so hard! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve considered sticking my foot out like that for people that won’t just sit down!!! It’s like you know, we’re all in this together, be respectful of other people!
Julie @ Artwork by JM says
Uggghh!! Yes, to all of these! Well, actually I never had the feet experience (thankfully) but I’ve had every single one of the other ones. I would also add, the person that has headphones on and starts singing at the top of her lungs. lol Crazy people
Casey says
What is with people!?!? Like calm down or take something to help you calm down, when people are freaking out, it makes it so uncomfortable for the rest of us. And yea, I’ve had the people with headphones on singing loudly too… that’s the worst!!!!
Courtney @ Adelante says
It’s so true – behavior on airplanes just seems to get worse and worse! Your story about the woman freaking out about the condensation had me laughing out loud. And as for your last point… oh, just wait until you fly to Spain and get to experience an airplane full of loud Spanish families (most of whom couldn’t figure out how to book their seats together, so they either frantically try to switch seats at the last minute or yell throughout the entire flight…)
Casey says
Oh geez! That’s sort of how it was on one of our flights to/from India this year. When you travel to countries when large families travel together, it makes it really unpleasant!
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished says
Hahah this is so true. I’ve seen all of these people on planes. The weirdest experience I have ever had was when the large man next to me on a cross-country flight would let his arm fall into my lap every time he fell asleep. I’m pretty sure it was not intentional, but still very awkward.
Casey says
That’s super awkward! And so uncomfortable, because there isn’t much you can do when crammed in next to those people!
Sara Barnes says
Lol these are awesome. I disinfect my tray and armrests but haven’t gotten as bad as that lady. Haha.
Sara
506 Miles: from Detroit to Nashville
Casey says
Oh this lady was BEYOND! Literally, I almost expected her to reach over and start wiping my area down!
Isa says
hahahaha so hilarious, but yes people change when they go somwhere by plane xD Just take it and be ready to get more interresting stories in the future xD
Casey says
Totally, they get so weird on planes!
Vera says
Hahahahahaha that was so funny! There truly is some crazy (and creepy sometimes) people in planes! It must be the height!
With love,
Vera
http://theflashwindow.weebly.com/
Casey says
Totally!!! It’s like the creeper in people comes out on planes!
Alissa Loxton says
Hahaha so very true, I can relate!! And also the “Fall asleep on your shoulder guy” is also pretty uncomfortable……. great post!
———————
21 year old backpacker currently an expat in NZ
http://the-living-spree.blogspot.co.nz/
Casey says
Totally!!! That’s always super awkward!
Jenn says
Haha I can totally relate!! I had a lady who literally fixed her makeup like 2 times an hour on my flight to Germany in 2006, that’s just weird to me. Also, the guy on our flight from MD to Florida smelled really bad.
Casey says
Yea, that’s weird! At least get up and go in the bathroom if you’re going to be applying make up and everything!!!
Jordan Beck Wagner says
Oh my goodness! I once had a guy who was severely obese sit next to me on a flight. However, I felt really bad/awkward because the first thing he did was profusely apologize for his weight. How could I be mad after that?!
Casey says
That’s just uncomfortable all around!!!!
Laura @ Laughter is Catching says
I had the weirdest one on my last trip to the US. I was travelling alone and had the window seat, and the couple next to me were so odd. I fell asleep and the guy tried to pinch my meal (at which point I had to wake up and claim the bits I wanted back) and the woman declined food and then whipped out a bag of freeze dried squid and proceeded to chomp her way through it. I’m not fussy or squeamish but there was something really disgusting about being trapped on a plane for 8 hours with weirdos and really stinky dried fish.
Casey says
That is so weird!!!! It’s horrible when you’re next to a weird couple like that because it’s double the weirdness!!!!
anniewiltse says
I’ve been pretty fortunate on my flights; I don’t have any horror stories or super awkward experiences. However, my biggest annoyance on flights is when whoever’s sitting in front of you puts their seat back. Your seat space is already tight enough without having the person in front of you reduce it by a third!
Casey says
Yea I agree. I hardly ever recline unless it’s a super long flight and I’m trying to sleep, but on those flights, everybody is reclining so it doesn’t really matter. The worst is on short flights when people immediately recline!!!
Jamie G @ SnapGinger says
HA these stories are hilarious! I’m sorry you had to suffer through them, but they made for a good post! (silver lining?)
Casey says
Totally a silver lining and stories we still laugh about all the time!
Svenja67Beer . says
Haha reading these ones is really funny but actually experiencing is such a nightmare! I mean common, if the person next to you wants to sleep you don’t need to yell though the entire cabin!
Love,
Svenja
Casey says
I know! People are so inconsiderate on airplanes!!!
Andrea @GreenandTurquoise says
I hate noisy neighbors, anyone talking to the person in the next seat at a volume that can be heard ten rows away deserves to be thrown off the plane.
I also had a kid kicking the back of my seat a few years ago! I repeatedly turned around giving his mom my best “evil eye”….accomplished nothing.
The “Socks on my Seat Guy” is hilarious! 😀
Green And Turquoise
Casey says
Totally, keep your voice low when we’re all crowded together, no need to yell people!!! And the kid behind me is like my worst nightmare when flying!
Camila says
I really hate big groups of loud people who travel together and think the plane is their personal space – it’s not. Get it together and wait until you’re out of the plane to discuss life. And I had that disinfect person as well on a recent flight home – a man took out a bottle and started disinfecting everything, even the tv screen! Very weird!
Casey says
It’s the worst!!! Like keep your thoughts to yourself until after the plane ride!!!!