THR-Fight from hell

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Stanj

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Not on here much any more due to being too busy in real life to be engaged in cyberlife.
I had a fairly sudden need to leave the country and return to the US, hopefully temporarily. New visa rules required my appying in home country and my visa expired last night.
I booked a flight on short notice and the only seat left was a bulkhead seat in a middle row. I stayed up all night fearing that my taxi reservation at 4a.m. would be missed because the battery in my travel alarm clock died. By the time i got to the airport, I had a fever, nausia and just felt terrible. I found when taking my seat for a 18 hours flight that I was wedged in between 350pounder on one side and a 300 pounder on the other, and being a bulkhead seat there was no leg room or space under the seat into which to curl the lower half of my 188cm(6'3") length into. Immediately behind me where infants and toddlers who screamed for 15 of those hours. Despite the noise, my two "companions" quickly fell asleep and one snored louder than the babies screamed some 2 feet from my ear.
Due to having my arms firmly squashed into immobility by the overhang on both side, the only good thing to be said for being sick on a plane was that there was no decision needed as to attempting to eat.....there was no possibility for moving my arms enough to eat let alone scratch my nose. And there was no possibility to get up to use the rest room for the entire flight.
This post does relate to hip replacements, honestly.
Being wedged in as I was, with no place to put my legs and no possibility to get up and move, I was stuck for most of that time in one painful position. Both knees, due to the stressful position felt like knives where being stuck into and under the knee-caps. I tried to flex my leg muscles, since i could not move my arms. buit that did not relieve the pain. I was really concerned with the possibilities of blood clots or other result of immobility and high equivalent cabin altitude. I could barely walk, and then only by holding onto something after that ordeal. My new bionic hip however was the ONLY part of me that was not in agony, or useless. In fact there was no pain at all.
As cautionary note; either fly business or first class, if you are within months of a hip replacement and can afford it. Otherwise try to get emergency exit row seating, on the isle. If that is not possible book a flight that breaks up the travel into a number of shorter legs. Having the break, and switching planes, really makes the time so faster in addition to minimizing the dangers. Or better, stay in your own city as much as possible. If you can't ride a bicycle to get where you want to go, do you REALLY need to go there?Mobility is important in being able to flex and keep blood from pooling in the legs.

There has been debates for years as to whether people too large to fit into a regular seat should pay more but each of those proposals would have the money go to the airline. The passengers who are made very uncomfortable are the ones losing out, they should be paid for their pain and suffering.
 
Stanj
It sounds like a truly miserable flight. I NEVER would have made it without getting up .
I would have been poking the hell out of one of those guys and getting the flight attendant to wake one up to move. Perhaps the 2 of them should have been seated together giving you the aisle!!!

I have traveled across the great USA with my 4 little children a few times and people near me always looked a little upset. Fortunately for me , even as infants, never any crying. Those around me always told me after that they dreaded sitting near me and congratulated me on such quiet kids!!
Being a mom when kids are crying, I am just feel bad for the parents!! And glad they are not mine!!

That is awesome that your hip was fine. I travelled to florida from socal a few weeks ago and it was interesting at the airports. At LAX I was all set to have the metal detectors go off. I got through with no problem and asked the securtity official why. He told me if I made it through security at LAX, my hip would not go off anywhere.
Both my 15 year old and 13 year old set it off. My son had his cell in his pocket, my daughter had a small wrist brace on .
Well at a smaller airport in florida as I was wondering what would happen, sure enough my hip set off the detector. Fortunately my kids had learned their lesson and made it through.

I hope you are feeling better soon.
Are you in socal? I think I remember you being from here. How long?

Judy
 
Oh my! That sounds like the perfect nightmare of a flight. I'd have had the screaming habdabs before the plane left the ground! That's why, when I go to visit my friend in Georgia soon, I shall be flying Club class and have a recliner all to myself!

(Financial situation permitting!)

I'm so pleased you managed to survive the experience, Stan.
 
Jo,
When are you going to Georgia?
I might find myself there also.
I will be heading to the Atlanta suburbs
Judy
 
I know your flight was horrible, but you had me laughing at your misery. Well described.
And I had thought I'd had bad flights. You one upped me!!

Jo and Judy, I'm in Savannah GA. Beautiful city... we have Paula Deen too. Ya'll come over and sit a spell, we can talk over some sweet tea.

Jessie
 
Sounds horrific Stan. I have heard of airlines charging half as much again for two seats if the person can't fit in one seat and needs to occupy two. It sounds like both your 'companions' were kidding themselves thinking they only needed one seat.
 
Haven't decided exactly when I am going - probably not till this financial craziness settles down! I'll keep you posted as it would be nice to meet if possible - but I also have two other friends I'd like to visit - one in SanDiego and on in PA.

Regarding the two seat issue - when I went to visit a friend in Spain, I flew EasyJet and so many people have horror stories about the small space, no leg room, etc., so I booked two seats for myself (I am a biggy!). However, when I got on the plane I found it was all scaremongering and one would have been plenty. Was nice to have a spare seat to put my bags on though!
 
To all -
I travel at lot with my job. I started traveling about 10 weeks after surgery. (My first transatlantic about 14 weeks after surgery.) Our travel policy is coach, with no exceptions. As, I was most concerned about blood clots, I got an isle seat with my surgical hip to the isle. This way I could stretch my leg into the isle occasionally (when no one was coming - of course). I could also get up and stretch without disturbing anyone. I couldn't have made the flights any other way!
I didn't even consider the emegency exit isle. I couldn't have opened the emergecy door and in the event of an emergency I could have endangered everyone aboard.
 
My best flight was with an unusual seat partner; a cello. One time not as long ago in my memory as in calendar time, I flew to Paris from SFO before a continuation to Milan. Next to the me in the seat between me and the only other live person in the row sat a cello all strapped in and comfortable. The cello did not cry, disturb my reading with jumping up to use the restroom on 1/4 hour intervals, and it didn't spill its wine on me. What made the flight even more interesting than a quiet and respectful cello(which was the perfect conversationalist, sat there and did not interrupt me one time) sat a real human, a lovely youngish female human headed to a concert in Paris. The human and I eventually had a conversation after the ever polite cello grew tired of my talk. After a while we switched seats so the cello could get its much needed sleep on the window since. The long story culminated with my putting off my arrival in Milan so as to attend the concert in Paris to listen and see my two seat companions. In fact my vital trip to Milan was not resumed for a week, it seems the cello had grown rather fond of me and sulked every time the topic of moving on came up. The cello's companion seemed to agree. The next time the 3 of us met was in St Petersburg. The cello was quite upset with that, seeing as it was not invited to the dinners, dancing and river cruise, jazz club outing.
Seating neighbors are not always best when they miss our mutual flight.
In fact the best part of travel is the unexpected and unplanned, often viewed by most as interruptions and "plans going awry". After all, if we knew exactly what was to be found as journey's end, we would have no need to go. Of the 86 countries I've visited, only a small handful were planned destinations.

To bring this full circle to the purpose of the forum, I can say I was slightly disappointed in not having one security check or metal detector sense the large piece of metal where my right hip used to be. The first security check, I tried to tell them, and even had my little prosthetic passport card in hand to show security. They ignored it. As did the next and the next, in fact 6 security checkpoints passed me through without me saying anything or their metal detectors raising objections.
 
Stan, you are a perfect hoot! What a great story. Did the cello get counselling when it got home - seperation anxiety and all?
 
Stan, you have a delightful outlook on life and I'm sure your sparkle makes you a very good airline seat companion! I used to travel a lot in my job and many times met some fascinating people on the flights. It can be a lot of fun to stumble across something unexpected. Glad you made it through the trip okay!!!
 
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