FlightsFromHell.com received a document in PDF format that purportedly was an original complaint letter written by a passenger to an airline company. While a quick net search revealed the real poop - the letter has been making the rounds for a while - we're going to post it anyway since it's right on target with the theme of our website.
The writer's complaint was about the proximity of his or her seat to the lavatory including its foul odors and sounds made from those in it. The letter discusses construction of a "stink shield", and even provides illustrations including the one below:
A check with the urban legends website Snopes.com revealed the story to be surprisingly True. To read the letter, click on the drawing of seat 29E above.
Want to avoid a seat from hell? SeatGuru has airplane seat maps that show the locations of good seats and bad ones. Additional details can be revealed, including passenger reviews, when scrolling over seats using the mouse's cursor. And yes, locations of the dreaded lavatories are also noted. 10/08
Special Flight Attendant Page
Click on the stewardess above to let her take you to the Flight Attendant page where you can read about The Queen of Sky, reporters who got a taste of life as a FA, watch a video about how to ask a FA out for a date, and access vintage pictures from the glamorous days of flying.
Unruly Kids (And Their Parents)
Heard about the most recent case involving a family that was ejected from their flight for having unruly kids? You can read about it in Harriet Baskas' Well Mannered Traveler column, and watch a news clip below. There was also a recent incident involving an autistic child and his mother who were kicked off of a plane. For more on the topic, be sure to check out the stories in Flights From Hell's Babies & Kids page.
What do you think airlines should do when faced with the problem? Should there be a separate family section on airplanes? Share your comments. 8/08
Featured Site
The It's Jerry Time! website features videos about the trials and tribulations of a hapless schlub named Jerry. The Emmy winning webseries is based on Jerry's real life adventures. Click on the graphic below to view Jerry's flight from hell. 7/08
Cell Phones On Airplanes
Air France introduced cell phone service on its aircraft, and other members of the European Union might follow suit. Concerned about cell phones becoming an in-flight annoyance, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio introduced a bill called the Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace (HANG UP) Act which would prohibit voice communications use of cell phones (text messages and emails would be allowed).
Harriet Baskas has written several articles about cell phone usage on airplanes in her blog, Stuck at the Airport, and in her MSNBC.com column, The Well-Mannered Traveler. Harriet hosted a survey about cell phone use on planes. Sixty-four percent of respondents stated that they were against cell phone calls, but were for text and email service.
The video below shows another way that cell phones can be a nuisance on airplanes:
7/08
Paying Bills For Frills
Airlines continue to raise fees for services. Many are now charging for excess baggage, meals, curbside baggage checks, and better seats. Unfortunately this is a trend that is likely to continue as the airlines struggle to stay in business. Below is a Mad TV spoof about the topic. 6/08
