It is my first international solo trip and I stupidly book a flight that has two layovers before reaching my final destination in San Francisco. I have also booked it so that it’s my birthday on my last flight.

I am on my second layover in Chicago, and at this stage, I am feeling pretty sick and tired. I get to my gate and ask the flight attendant at the gate if she can look after my bag whilst I go to the bathroom; she explains that she can’t due to airport policies.

She gets chatting to me and I explain that it is my first solo trip, I am feeling really sick, and technically, it is my birthday. She goes off behind the counter for a bit and then comes back as they are boarding and explains that she couldn’t upgrade me but that she has managed three seats right at the back where she is working so she can keep an eye on me.

When I board, she makes sure that I have a blanket, tells me to put my hoodie on, and as soon as the seatbelt sign goes off, she tells me to get some sleep. She then wakes me up so I can get my first sight of San Francisco.

If it hadn’t been for her, I think I would’ve fallen to pieces on my last flight and never flown solo again! That tiny gesture went such a long way for a young person on her first solo flight!

This story is part of our feel-good roundup for August 2020!

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My parents used to go on a short vacation in Europe every year. My dad would always complain that Mom needlessly packed extra clothes that never got used and were just dead weight in the luggage. 

One time, he decided to prove his point; after she finished packing, he secretly removed the extra pair of his pants from the suitcase.

Then, he had tomato soup for lunch on the plane. There was some turbulence and Dad had to spend three days in Germany with huge soup stains on his pants. He never complained about the extra clothes again.

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My husband and I are going on our honeymoon, which is the first overseas trip either of us has ever been on. We’ve done as much as we can to prepare, but there are a few things like toothbrushes and such that can’t be packed until the day we leave. And, of course, that’s exactly when everything seems to fall apart.

Our dog sitter cancels that morning, meaning we have to very quickly find a kennel for our dog and pack up her stuff. Then, on the way back inside after taking the dog to the kennel, I manage to trip and cut my arm on the mailbox. It’s bad enough that I have to get stitches. Luckily, our flight is in the late afternoon, so we sort of have enough time for a trip to the hospital.

But then, just as we get home to finish packing and do a few last-minute tasks we would have had done by noon if life hadn’t gotten in the way, the airport shuttle pulls up to our door a full hour early. The driver tells us that if we’re not ready to leave in five minutes, our reservation will be canceled without refund. It’s only after we haphazardly finish packing and get to the airport that we find out he was absolutely not allowed to do that. By then, it’s too late to go back home to get the items we already realize we’ve forgotten, so we decide we’ll just have to buy them once we land.

All in all, it’s been a pretty awful day, and I’m stressed out.

I’ve put in a request ahead of time for an alternative meal on our trans-Atlantic flight, since I’m vegetarian. When they serve the meals, it’s clear the airline has one single alternative meal that is vegan, kosher, halal, gluten-free, nut-free, low-sodium, and suitable for diabetics. It’s just rice and unseasoned boiled vegetables because of all the restrictions. Though it’s not that appetizing, it’s food, and I eat it.

After the main meal, the flight attendants serve dessert: a brownie for each passenger. I’m really looking forward to the brownie after the day I’ve had. When the flight attendant reaches me, she starts handing me the brownie but then stops.

“Oh, you had the alternative meal, didn’t you?”

She pulls back the brownie and hands me something else. I look down to find an unsweetened, unflavored rice cake. For whatever reason, that is the straw that broke the camel’s back, even if it isn’t a big deal comparatively. I look back up at the flight attendant with what my husband claims is the expression of someone whose heart has just been ripped out and stomped on, and I’m struggling not to cry.

“Did you want the brownie, instead?”

“Yes, please!”

The brownie was delicious, and the rest of our trip went much more smoothly.

This story has been included in our June 2020 roundup as one of that month’s most memorable stories!

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I am a flight attendant. We are in the air and I’m doing a beverage service. I ask a woman by the window:

Me: “Would you like a beverage, ma’am?”

Her husband in the middle seat says to me:

Husband: “You have to pardon my wife; she doesn’t speak to servants.”

Me: “Very well. I don’t serve until spoken to.”

Everyone else on the plane got drinks and dinner. She didn’t.

This story has been included in our June 2020 roundup as one of that month’s most memorable stories!

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My family — my husband, our three-year-old son, and me — are flying across Canada to visit extended family. We were able to upgrade our seats to first-class for a really reasonable rate at the last minute. We’ve got a big bag of stuff to keep our son entertained on the flight. We know; babies and little kids are not always the best travellers.

We get settled in and another family boards right after us. The parents are in their fifties or so, and their three kids are in their twenties. They take one look at my son, who’s sitting quietly while I read him a book, and start complaining. Loudly. They’re saying things like, “Oh, great! I thought this was supposed to be first-class!” They’re trying to engage the other first-class passengers, who are mostly looking uncomfortable that we can clearly hear these people complaining about us.

As soon as the plane takes off, this other family starts ordering drinks. And more drinks. First, they start talking and joking in increasingly loud voices. Then, they start bickering, shouting across the aisles at each other. They are the noisiest passengers I’ve ever been stuck with. 

Our three-year-old son, meanwhile, was quiet and calm the whole flight. He watched cartoons, ate snacks, and played with his toys. Model flyer.

This story has been included in our June 2020 roundup as one of that month’s most memorable stories!

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