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  • #1

    Acting a fool on a plane

    In this day and age.

    I flew to LA to visit my husband for Thanksgiving on Monday the 19th (hadn't seen him in two months! ) and returned Monday the 26th. On the flight over, there was an elderly lady, who must have been suffering from some sort of demensia. About halfway through the flight, she wandered down the aisle past me, toward the emergency exit.

    The attendant must have been aware that the lady had problems, because she asked if she needed help. The elderly lady replied that she just wanted to step outside.

    AT 33,000 FEET.

    The attendant turned her around to help her back to her seat, explaining that she could not go outside for a couple more hours. The lady said something else I couldn't hear, and the attendant replied, "I understand you want to go outside, but your on an airplane."

    She was a lot calmer than I was! How unnerving to think this woman was probably attempting to open the freaking door in mid-flight. I kept an eye on her next time I saw her walking the aisle, and wondered why whoever she was with, wasn't doing the same.

    On the way home, I was having a pleasant conversation with my seatmate, when we heard a commotion in front of us. Someone was screaming, in true ghetto fashion, "Mumblemumblemumble, I AIN"T PLAYING WITH YOU!" We stopped mid-sentence and looked, along with everyone else, to see what was going on. I was getting into karate mode, in case we had to tackle anybody, and waiting for an attendant to rush to the scene. No one ever did, and thankfully that was the end of it.

    Disclaimer: I don't consider the elderly lady to be foolish; I felt sorry for her, but she made me VERY nervous. As for the second flight, I couldn't believe anyone would be that stupid to be screaming like that on a plane. However, I live near Baton Rouge, home of the ghetto superstars, so I really shouldn't have been shocked.
    I HATE stupid people!
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Quoth jayel View Post
    The attendant turned her around to help her back to her seat, explaining that she could not go outside for a couple more hours. The lady said something else I couldn't hear, and the attendant replied, "I understand you want to go outside, but your on an airplane."

    She was a lot calmer than I was! How unnerving to think this woman was probably attempting to open the freaking door in mid-flight. I kept an eye on her next time I saw her walking the aisle, and wondered why whoever she was with, wasn't doing the same.
    Sadly, most likely this woman didn't have anyone with her. My bet is her family put her on the plane with a wheelchair assist to change planes and arranged someone to pick her up at the end destination. People do this a lot 'cause the can't afford or don't want to pay for a roundtrip (actually two if she is visiting) to accompany her. There is a way to put comments in the reservation so the flight attendants and gate crew can see them. In this case "pax has dementia may become disoriented on flight".
    My SO jokes that I should put "hypoglyemic may become a heinous bword if she has gone without food"

    I hope you had a great visit with your husband!

    Comment

    • #3
      FYI Opening an airliner door midflight requires the strength of two men and a small boy. It can be done, but not easily nor quickly.

      Comment

      • #4
        Quoth auntiem View Post

        I hope you had a great visit with your husband!
        Yes, I did, thank you. We are going through a lot of changes right now, career wise and moving, and it is very stressful. It was starting to pull us apart and I don't think we realized how much we needed to see each other until we met in person.

        Quoth MadRocketScientist View Post
        FYI Opening an airliner door midflight requires the strength of two men and a small boy. It can be done, but not easily nor quickly.
        Good to know for next time
        I HATE stupid people!

        Comment

        • #5
          You've probably heard the captain announce 'cabin crew please disarm doors' or equivalent, every time you've flown. The doors are very securely locked while in flight - it's not like a bus' 'emergency exit push window out' windows.
          Seshat's self-help guide:
          1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
          2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
          3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
          4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

          "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

          Comment

          • #6
            I doubt very much if the door opens with the strength of 2 or 3 men. Maybe 10 or 20, armed with sledge hammers.

            The way the world is today, the airline companies wouldn't want to make it easy for a pair of dedicated suicide exit-terrorists to pull a stunt.

            Comment

            • #7
              Quoth Bagga View Post
              The way the world is today, the airline companies wouldn't want to make it easy for a pair of dedicated suicide exit-terrorists to pull a stunt.
              Even if the aircraft door was open as long as you are strapped in you will be fine, you may require a change in underwear but you'll be fine, my example.

              Some time ago (twenty or so years perhaps) an island hopping airline aircraft developed a skin fracture that went unnoticed due to increased de/pressurisation cycles, this caused a catastrophic failure of pressure due to a piece of fuse removing itself mid-flight at cruise altitude, very few fatalitites (namely those who weren't strapped in). I remember seeing a picture of it just after it had landed with a passenger sat right next to the hole who had survived. The hole itself was around 6x2 meters.
              A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

              Comment

              • #8
                Yeah I remember seeing that on the web. It turned the airliner into a drop top for a section.

                Also mythbusters tested the myth of being sucked out of a window at altitude and they busted it. TO be honest getting sucked out of the plane was the least thing I worried about when I first flew this spring.

                And as for the old lady. I feel more sorry for her than anythig else as it does sound like she has a bit of dementia or something and should have had a handler with her. Not so much to protect others from her but protect her from others.

                Comment

                • #9
                  That's reminding me of my first long flight (first flight was from Boston to JFK, this flight was from JFK to Heathrow).

                  OK, I'm a freshman in high school on a band trip to the UK. My second flight (my first flight was earlier that morning).

                  It was also exactly ONE WEEK PanAm flight 103 was blown up over Scotland. We were PanAm flight 003 (the flight that leaves before 103). You can already imagine the apprehension.

                  There were 3 middle eastern men sitting in the front row in the middle section (it was a 747). All acting very suspicious, nervous, and over-alert. For about 4 hours one of them stood by the door running his hands over the door, touching the handle, running his hands over the window.

                  A lot of us didn't feel very comfortable about it.

                  Finally one of the chaperones asked about it. Apparently they were scared for the same reason, but because they thought that if they did one little thing that all of the passengers would tackle them. One of them it was his first flight, too.
                  Quote Dalesys:
                  ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    To make you feel better:

                    Can Aircraft Door Be Opened In The Air?.

                    Have a nice day.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Air aloha incident

                      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Flight_243
                      A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

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