Complainers and Interesting Folks

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Heehee.. Member
Hey everyone,
Please share any unique, funny, or just plain wacky instances where a passenger complained, became belligerent, or did something really off the wall that made you either laugh, cry (or both), kick them off the plane, or just made you think "Wow, what a weird species we humans are!"

I'll share one here as an example:
From a FA friend,
While working a flight from MIA to JFK, during boarding a passenger in first class asked for a Bloody Mary. She served him the drink and just a few minutes later, the passenger knocked his drink over and it poured all over the new carpet (new aircraft). She proceeded to get paper towels and try toclean up the mess before it stained the rug. As she knelt beside the passenger, she began to smell an "awful" smell. She looked up at the guy and his pants were wet and brown on the bottom and sides. Yes folks, he crapped himself! He then got up and went to the Lav. After he came out, he was removed from the flight by the gate agents. A cleaning crew was called in to clean up the seat, which had actual wet fecal matter on it, as well as the lav. While cleaning the seat, the cleaning crew found an empty box of laxatives stuffed along the cushion. They then found a bag of unidentifed pills in the lav. Seems that this young gent was trying to smuggle something and delivered his package just a bit too early! Authorities were called.
Just another day in the wacky world of airlines! Please share your experiences! Thanks!
 
Complainers and Interesting Folks!

Hey everyone,
Please share any unique, funny, or just plain wacky instances where a passenger complained, became belligerent, or did something really off the wall that made you either laugh, cry (or both), kick them off the plane, or just made you think "Wow, what a weird species we humans are!"

I'll share one here as an example:
From a FA friend,
While working a flight from MIA to JFK, during boarding a passenger in first class asked for a Bloody Mary. She served him the drink and just a few minutes later, the passenger knocked his drink over and it poured all over the new carpet (new aircraft). She proceeded to get paper towels and try toclean up the mess before it stained the rug. As she knelt beside the passenger, she began to smell an "awful" smell. She looked up at the guy and his pants were wet and brown on the bottom and sides. Yes folks, he crapped himself! He then got up and went to the Lav. After he came out, he was removed from the flight by the gate agents. A cleaning crew was called in to clean up the seat, which had actual wet fecal matter on it, as well as the lav. While cleaning the seat, the cleaning crew found an empty box of laxatives stuffed along the cushion. They then found a bag of unidentifed pills in the lav. Seems that this young gent was trying to smuggle something and delivered his package just a bit too early! Authorities were called.
Just another day in the wacky world of airlines! Please share your experiences! Thanks!
 
Just a week ago.

A passenger had just found out he would have to pay to check his luggage.

He turned to his wife and quietly said to her, as if he was letting her in on a secret:

"Honey, the truth to it is...the plane is going to get to Philadelphia anyway...so why charge for the bag? This is just a giant scam."


Yep, and on a related note -- the plane's gonna get to Philly anyway so hey, why even charge the people for seats! :p
 
We had a passenger removed from a flight that got belligerent because he was instructed to remove his GIANT SOMBRERO! No kidding.

I'd say every couple of days we have a pee or poo incident.
 
Going to Aspen once we almost had a situation because there were two Aspenite women who each brought on 2 animals (small dogs) and that exceeded the amount of non-service animals we were supposed to have in the cabin.
 
I've got a few from working the ticket counter etc side of things.

I've bounced two people for being totally ####faced.

Moved a guy into 13B on a CRJ for trying to pull the I need the bulkhead because I'm a diamond encrusted elite member. (last row right across from the ####ter)

Saw the TSA bounce someone for being an • (I kinda started it though)

Someone though it would be cool to show me the gun that he was carrying after his "girl toy's" bag missed the flight.

Someone else showed me their gun after his "girl toy's" airplane broke and was delayed.

What is it with New Haven CT and their guns?

A non-rev thought it would be cool to show up still plastered in her "party clothes" (they wern't really clothes, more of an assortment of small patches of cloth) for an morning flight out of Key West.

Cleaning up the partially digested spaghetti that was eaten by a passenger seating somewhere between rows 2 and 6 was a blast.

The used diaper that someone left in their gate checked stroller that leaked all its gel onto the floor of the bin kinda stank. I got to go home early that night, so it wasn't all bad.

Had to carry a person off in an aisle chair that had an accident with his external bladder.

I'm sure there are more. But that is all I care to recall right now.
 
Had to bounce a guy yesterday going from MSP-ICT. Bag wouldn't fit under the seat or in the overhead bin. He had it jammed under the seat, and it was sticking halfway out. When the FA told him he'd have to gate check it, he stood up and started yelling "This isn't a f'in emergency!" Well, thanks, jack ass. It is now for you.....
 
Flight from DCA to BNA
We had a hydraulic system 3 failure which led to an emergency gear extension, loss of inboard brakes and no nose wheel steering. We followed the qrh declared an emergency, slowed, descended and landed at the nearest suitable TYS 35 NM dead ahead. (which just happened to be our base on the last day of the trip, no REALLY)
So surrounded by fire trucks on the high speed, after the plane had been chocked I went in the back to help the FA pass out water to pax while we waited for busses and a tug.

One lady, nostrils flaring bolted from her seat and angrily demanded to know "why didnt you land in Nashville?!!!"
 
I'm not an airline guy, but heres my little story.
Had a customer come in one day complaining that the grass was taking over his rice field right under three different sets of powerlines,What we called a "wire nest".
Anyway, He was really making a big deal about it, but the bad part was, there was a couple other customers listening to all of his crap.
I had a two seat Turbo Thrush at the time so I told him to come get in and we would get just as close to the wires and poles as he wanted. He got in and off we go. :bandit: After about two runs through there I noticed he wasnt talking to me anymore. I looked back at him, and he looked at me with the most pitiful look I have ever seen from a grown man. I told him we needed to get a little closer to the poles and he screamed,"Screw the grass, I want out",so we went back and landed. He never complained again.
 
Not on my flight but overheard on Atlanta Radio:

7 year old kid really need to go, but his dumb mother wouldn't let him go in the lav for some odd reason. His nanny was with him and just told him to go take a whiz on the back bulkhead, next to the working lav. Pax in row 13 were a little horrified. Not sure what happened to them and his mother, but hopefully fined for clean up.


btw. I love these threads! This is the one thing that makes it fun to come to work! That and shooting approaches to mins.
 
My favorite Airline traveling story comes from secondhand knowledge. I worked alongside a former SBN Ops manager for a legacy carrier (unnamed). This story is 6 years old now but true.

After a ND football game, a very senior CA working for said airline and his wife were trying to Non-Rev back to the hub city. Both jumpseats up front were full, but there were two available seats in back that they would be able to get. 40 minutes to departure time, a brand new middle manager for the same airline and his wife came to the gate trying to get on the same flight. Not sure if it's true anymore, but at that time management in the airline always had a higher Non-rev priority than pilots, regardless of seniority. The manager and his wife bumped the Captain and his wife off the flight.

Things only began to get interesting 20 minutes before boarding, when the manager's wife opened her mouth to the senior Captain's wife. Out of the earshot of the CA, she said something to the extent of "Wouldn't it be really nice to be married to somebody with a little higher priority?" This comment didn't sit especially well with her, and the she reported the comment back to the Captain. The Senior Captain became incensed when learning of the comment. He goes back to the ticket counter, and buys two full-fare seats in the cabin for the flight at the last second, which apparently cost about $850. Then the CA and his wife get back to the gate, where boarding has almost finished.

With knowledge of two new revenue passengers, the SBN station manager gets on the flight and walks up the the airline manager and his wife. "I'm really sorry, but your seats have been sold. We need you both to quickly deplane please." He walks the manager and his wife back up the jetbridge, while the CA and his wife are coming down. As they pass by, the Captain's wife says “Wouldn't it be really nice to be married to somebody who could actually afford to buy a seat?”
 
Thanks for the stories everyone, keep them coming! Here is yet another weird JFK story that actually happened to me last winter.....I wrote this in a way that non-airline folks can understand (posted it on another site)

A flight arrived at JFK in New York City at 11:30pm on a Sunday night. As the passengers were deplaning, a man asked the flight attendant for a wheel chair. Ordinarily the flight attendant is notified by the gate agent at the departure city as to how many wheelchairs and passengers with special needs are on the aircraft. The crew then notifies the operations office at the destination of their needs so they will be prepared when the aircraft arrives at the gate. As this request for a wheelchair was last minute, there would be a delay in getting the chair to the aircraft. After all of the passengers had left except the man and his family, the man exited and entered the aircraft numerous times. The gate agent notified the man that you cannot enter the aircraft once you are off (for security reasons). Since the man's wife and sleeping son were still on the aircraft, he was allowed back onto the aircraft. The crew waited another 20 minutes and the wheelchair had still not arrived. The captain notified the family of the short staff at that hour and the delay of the chair. The man's response was "We will wait, because my son is asleep and we do not want to wake him." The captain asked why he needed a wheelchair and again the man stated that he wanted the wheelchair for his teen aged son because he did not want to wake him. The family finally got the wheelchair that they requested, and as the dad carried his teen aged son from the plane, the son woke up. They all walked to the baggage claim and did not use the chair!
 
My favorite Airline traveling story comes from secondhand knowledge. I worked alongside a former SBN Ops manager for a legacy carrier (unnamed). This story is 6 years old now but true.

After a ND football game, a very senior CA working for said airline and his wife were trying to Non-Rev back to the hub city. Both jumpseats up front were full, but there were two available seats in back that they would be able to get. 40 minutes to departure time, a brand new middle manager for the same airline and his wife came to the gate trying to get on the same flight. Not sure if it's true anymore, but at that time management in the airline always had a higher Non-rev priority than pilots, regardless of seniority. The manager and his wife bumped the Captain and his wife off the flight.

Things only began to get interesting 20 minutes before boarding, when the manager's wife opened her mouth to the senior Captain's wife. Out of the earshot of the CA, she said something to the extent of "Wouldn't it be really nice to be married to somebody with a little higher priority?" This comment didn't sit especially well with her, and the she reported the comment back to the Captain. The Senior Captain became incensed when learning of the comment. He goes back to the ticket counter, and buys two full-fare seats in the cabin for the flight at the last second, which apparently cost about $850. Then the CA and his wife get back to the gate, where boarding has almost finished.

With knowledge of two new revenue passengers, the SBN station manager gets on the flight and walks up the the airline manager and his wife. "I'm really sorry, but your seats have been sold. We need you both to quickly deplane please." He walks the manager and his wife back up the jetbridge, while the CA and his wife are coming down. As they pass by, the Captain's wife says “Wouldn't it be really nice to be married to somebody who could actually afford to buy a seat?”


THAT is beautiful!!!!
 
I'm not an airline guy, but heres my little story.
Had a customer come in one day complaining that the grass was taking over his rice field right under three different sets of powerlines,What we called a "wire nest".
Anyway, He was really making a big deal about it, but the bad part was, there was a couple other customers listening to all of his crap.
I had a two seat Turbo Thrush at the time so I told him to come get in and we would get just as close to the wires and poles as he wanted. He got in and off we go. :bandit: After about two runs through there I noticed he wasnt talking to me anymore. I looked back at him, and he looked at me with the most pitiful look I have ever seen from a grown man. I told him we needed to get a little closer to the poles and he screamed,"Screw the grass, I want out",so we went back and landed. He never complained again.

Love this story!
 
My favorite Airline traveling story comes from secondhand knowledge. I worked alongside a former SBN Ops manager for a legacy carrier (unnamed). This story is 6 years old now but true.

After a ND football game, a very senior CA working for said airline and his wife were trying to Non-Rev back to the hub city. Both jumpseats up front were full, but there were two available seats in back that they would be able to get. 40 minutes to departure time, a brand new middle manager for the same airline and his wife came to the gate trying to get on the same flight. Not sure if it's true anymore, but at that time management in the airline always had a higher Non-rev priority than pilots, regardless of seniority. The manager and his wife bumped the Captain and his wife off the flight.

Things only began to get interesting 20 minutes before boarding, when the manager's wife opened her mouth to the senior Captain's wife. Out of the earshot of the CA, she said something to the extent of "Wouldn't it be really nice to be married to somebody with a little higher priority?" This comment didn't sit especially well with her, and the she reported the comment back to the Captain. The Senior Captain became incensed when learning of the comment. He goes back to the ticket counter, and buys two full-fare seats in the cabin for the flight at the last second, which apparently cost about $850. Then the CA and his wife get back to the gate, where boarding has almost finished.

With knowledge of two new revenue passengers, the SBN station manager gets on the flight and walks up the the airline manager and his wife. "I'm really sorry, but your seats have been sold. We need you both to quickly deplane please." He walks the manager and his wife back up the jetbridge, while the CA and his wife are coming down. As they pass by, the Captain's wife says “Wouldn't it be really nice to be married to somebody who could actually afford to buy a seat?”

Priceless.
 
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