The glitz & glamour of being a flight attendant is something to be jealous of, right?
Not according to this Quora question page!
We have featured some insane flight attendant stories in this article over the past couple of years, but we decided it was high time for a 2021 update!
We’ve combed through the most ridiculous stories to deliver our 5 absolute favourites.
5) Something Missing from My Black Coffee
Ishwariya Gowda outlined how she once dealt with an interesting complaint on a flight from Chennai to Bengaluru, after the passenger in question requested a hot chocolate.
Flight attendant: “I’m sorry sir, I can’t serve you hot drinks at the moment because of turbulence.”
Passenger: “Black coffee then!”
Flight attendant: “Sir I’m so sorry I can’t serve you any hot beverages at the moment. I’ll get your coffee once the seat belt sign is off.”
As soon as the seat belt sign was switched off, she immediately answered the passenger’s call and fetched him a black coffee. She returned to the galley, but minutes later got another call on the bell — no prizes for guessing who it was.
Passenger: “There is no milk and sugar in my black coffee!”
Although Gowda couldn’t laugh in his face due to her professionalism, it seems the passenger’s friend did see the funny side.
4) Bring Me the Mother!
Kelly Schreiber recounted her friend’s story which she had heard told many times.
Her friend was serving a standard breakfast meal to the first-class passengers consisting of an omelette, potatoes, toast, and fruit. When she presented this meal to an imposing man dressed in ornate clothing, he boomed in a deep, thick accent: “Bring me the mother!”
Understandably, she asked him what he meant by this. Gesturing to the omelette, he repeated: “Bring me the mother!”
Still without a clue, she asked him to explain more clearly: “The mother! Bring me the mother!”
Eventually, she did put two and two together and realised he was asking for the mother of the omelette’s eggs: he wanted some chicken!
3) Cabin Pinball
Mn Islam is a former pilot who spoke about one particularly unusual flight back in 1987.
The flight was unusual for its sheer smoothness. Extremely clear with no choppiness, the pilot could see for several miles.
Then it came time for the supper service. Now this is the 80s so we’re talking about full meals, real metal cutlery and actual glasses, believe it or not!
The passengers had all received their meals, and everything was going swimmingly. Until the moment they went through some of the worst turbulence they had ever encountered.
For around half a minute, the jumbo jet seemed as if it might split apart until — as quickly as it started — the turbulence dissipated.
After the plane righted itself, the pilot looked to his co-pilot with a nod, and then turned around the open the door of the cockpit.
What he saw was something else!
The entire cabin looked like a landfill. Imagine 120 dinners, drinks and glasses bouncing against the floor and the ceiling half a dozen times.
The three economy flight attendants were injured as they had also bounced around the cabin, and one even broke their ribs.
The biggest consolation is that every single passenger was wearing their seatbelts, so all they lost was their lunch!
If that’s not a reason to leave your seatbelt on when seated, I don’t know what is!
2) The Best Things in Life Are Free
Martin Kuper had an interesting story to tell about a passenger who liked getting his money’s worth. This demanding passenger wanted every complimentary item available, whether he needed it or not.
Whether it was a can of pop, some peanuts, a set of earphones — if they were up-for-grabs, he was having them.
When a fellow female passenger requested a sanitary towel to assist with an emergency situation, he decided he wanted one as well.
The flight attendant tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Wondering why he would even want a pantyliner, the flight attendant handed one over…only for him to peel the paper backing off and stick it to his face like a sleeping mask!
1) A Leg and a Wing
Marcia McDonald has perhaps the most surprising passenger story of all.
On one very memorable trip, she was sat at the back of the cabin while it taxied out to the runway. Suddenly she got a call from the captain:
“The tower just informed me that I have a man on the right wing. Would you please quickly investigate and advise.”
She removed her seatbelt and headed to the cabin where she saw, to her disbelief, the right exit door open and dozens of passengers glued to their windows.
When she actually got a look out of the window herself she spotted the man in question crouching on the wing, complete with briefcase!
Marcia ran back to the phone to advise the pilot to stop the aircraft, and they got the gentleman back on board. He even completed his journey (this time inside the plane).
But what was the reason for the man’s escape? The plane they were on was a narrow-bodied aircraft, known to sometimes burn off extra fuel upon starting. In the right light, this torching can look like something is amiss with the aircraft itself.
However, instead making anyone aware of his concerns, this passenger decided he’d had enough and thought he would exit the plane.
His plan to actually get off the wing is anyone’s guess!
Have you seen anything weird than these five stories? Let us know in the comments below!
