Strange things have been known to happen in the air. Most recently, on an Aer Lingus flight from Lisbon to Dublin on Sunday, a man died and a woman was arrested after authorities confiscated four pounds of amphetamine in her luggage. The man reportedly became "agitated," bit a passenger and was attended to by a doctor and nurse on the flight, but was pronounced dead when the plane landed in its diverted destination of Cork. Yes, this all happened on the same flight; authorities aren't yet sure if the two events are related.
But that makes me think: What else has happened in the air that hasn't been heard? Surely those of you who have been flying for a while have seen some pretty strange things during your travels — and we all try not to be that seatmate.
For me, one of the most harrowing and nerve-wreaking experiences in the air was on my recent flight from Doha (DOH) to New York-JFK. Not long after takeoff, a child in business class two rows behind me started screaming for several minutes straight — the blood-curdling kind — right after we took off. This wasn't the type of scream you'd hear if the kid's ears were popping ... it sounded like he was dying. Flight attendants made an announcement asking for medical professionals and there were 10 people standing around the kid trying to help out. I thought were were going to divert. I don't know what happened, but eventually he calmed down.
My best guess is that the seat reclined onto his arm ... ouch! It seems medical emergencies are taken more seriously in the air, and rightfully so — a huge jet filled with fuel can't touch down right away, so the crew does their best to stabilize an issue in the air.
I want to hear from you: What's the craziest thing you've seen in the air? It doesn't have to be bad or scary or sad; just something you know you're not going to see on every flight.
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