The Wall Street Journal has an article that we could barely finish about absolutely disgusting behavior that air travelers are exhibiting on airplanes. The article details the foul, rude and unsanitary things that you all are doing out of some sort of misguided aggression towards the airline. We have news for you, pig pen, you’re only hurting yourselves… or, more specifically, the next guy to sit in that seat.
From the WSJ:
Patrick Kerr, who like Mr. Cuzzone participated in a FlyerTalk.com online discussion among frequent travelers of disgusting things people do aboard airplanes, was flying from Reno, Nev., to Dallas when a nearby passenger put a wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth and spit juice into a plastic cup throughout the flight.
As passengers left the plane, Mr. Kerr, a technology manager in St. Louis, said, the man made one last deposit then tucked the cup deep into the seat pocket.
“I said, ‘Hey, you left that.’ And he said, ‘It’s OK. They’ll get it,’ ” said Mr. Kerr, who then alerted a flight attendant.
Flight attendants often say that the biggest messes they have to deal with are dirty diapers left in seat-back pockets or worse, handed to them while they are serving beverages and snacks. “Would you hand that off to your server at a restaurant?” said Corey Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants, a union representing workers at several big airlines. “It’s amazing how people treat the inside of aircraft cabins as opposed to other public spaces.”
My god, were you people raised by wolves? Clean up after yourselves.
“Putting a melting chocolate bar in a seatback is a way of punishing the airline for shoddy treatment,” said Robert Bor, a clinical aviation psychologist in London.
We disagree. Evil behavior such as this is actually a way to punish nice people who just happen to be on the airplane after you, and who would really rather not be covered in what appears to be baby vomit, the possible origin of which will plague them for days afterward.
Can you think of some more constructive ways to punish an airline for poor service? Department of Transportation complaint? Nasty letter to your mutual fund manager about excessive airline CEO pay? Amtrak?
Flying Foul: Passengers Behaving Badly [Yahoo!]
(Photo: JohnKit )
More From Consumerist
-
Hurricane Sandy Prompts 4 Major Airlines To Cancel 9,000 Flights
-
The FAA Rethinking That Whole Ban On Smartphone Usage In Flight Thing, Finally
-
Rabbits Treating Cars In Denver Airport Parking Lots Like So Many Tender Heads Of Lettuce
-
Southwest Raising Bag Fees, Will Start Charging For No-Shows
-
Not Putting Anything In The Overhead Bin? American Airlines Is Seeing What Happens If You Board First
@snoop-blog: Sadly, I can’t get to my family in England in a car.
@seamer: It’s not the act of changing a child or even possibly witnessing baby bits briefly — it’s the fact that human waste is still considered a biohazard in most places and the public should not be exposed to it. Bathrooms are the appropriate place for all forms of toileting, regardless of whether you use said toilet or not.
As opposed to feeding, which is not appropriate in a place where human waste belongs, obviously.
oh and another thing. All you parents who change your baby in your seats means you aren’t washing your hands after wiping the caaca from your babies behinds. I don’t know about you heathens but where I come from, it is customary to wash hands after dealing with feces and urine, regardless of whether it’s your own or your babies.
It’s no wonder babies are sick all the time. Nasty parents are not washing their hands after changing them and then touching their babies with their soiled hands, including putting their nasty fingers in their babies mouths.
Next time you see a baby sucking on his momma’s finger just know it probably has traces of fecal matter on it.
I want to vomit now.
Well, you have to admit that passengers are often treated like crap these days during the whole airport experience/flying experience. Getting nickel & dimed with fees, incompetant TSA workers who seem to delight in screwing with you, flight delays, getting stuck on the tarmac for hours, surly flight attendants etc. etc..
The whole airport/flying experience is a miserable one these days….. and if the worse things that happen on flights are dirty diapers, melted chocolate bars, & chaw “spit-cups” being left on board….. then I’d say you’re pretty damn lucky!
I blame all of this on the tinkler.
[www.cnn.com]
There has to be a pysch profile for these people.
lets not forget that IF you dare to complain on an airplane…. you could get threatened with “interference with a flight crew” & dragged off the plane in handcuffs. Until people arent treated like shit in the airport & on the plane …. expect airline passengers to fight back in small little ways they think they can get away with.
I work in a really nice office building…vintage even! Anyways our ladies room is clearly not that! When I went to use the toilet last Saturday it looked like someone on the rag had smeared their dirty pad all over the seat. I mean LADIES come on! Then there were drops of blood all over the floor. Usually its the bathrooms at places like Chuckie Cheese that are the worst but now its anywhere and anywhere. Wal-Marts bathrooms are horrible as well.
I remember back in they day being told stories about Italy and how they had holes in the floor to squat over and how dirty the restrooms were etc…etc….
Well I never saw blood all over a toilet over there!
Get with it Americans…have some consideration for other people!
This discussion should have ended with aphexbr‘s comment. The shit you leave on planes translates directly into longer turnarounds. PERIOD.
@katylostherart: Changing a dirty diaper IN a foodcourt should be a capital offence.
@keith4298:
Last I heard the primary function of an airline is to fly you from point a to point b safely. Other amenities are a bonus. Don’t remember the last time I walked into a 4 start restaurant and came out in a different city.
@katylostherart: Thank you for bringing some common snese and sanity to the thread.
@joellevand: Bathrooms are the appropriate place for all forms of toileting, regardless of whether you use said toilet or not.
Oh gawd. That might be the funniest line in this whole thread.
@VikingP77:
That’s probably because a lot of women have some wierd hangups about actually sitting on a public toilet seat. Even a clean one. So a lot of women squat/hover over the toilet & hope their aim is true. You’d probably be suprised to know that women’s restrooms are more likely to have ass-gaskets than men’s restrooms.
I personally have no problem sitting on a public toilet seat as long as it looks clean (no obvious piss puddles or shit smears). You cant be a germaphobe when you use a public restroom. Germs are everywhere and (nearly all are harmless)… except it.
OH, don’t even get me started on this subject! The stories I could tell… I had a passenger actually throw up in my hair while I was seated in the jumpseat for landing. He felt ill and decided to make a run for the john just as we were landing and as the plane jerked due to some serious wind sheer, he got tossed around a little and, as a result, ended up losing it in my hair… Thank GOD it was at the end of a trip so I could take a shower right away!
@DeltaPurser:
aw come on! Its not like he sought you out & aimed at your hair on purpose!
We are talking about people who are either oblivious to how they effect others, simply dont care or did disgusting things on purpose to get back at the airlines. Not people that had good intentions (trying to get to the bathroom to barf) & then just screwed up.
When did being a germopobe become cool ? We have survived thousands of years with antisanitary conditions so some kid being changed in a seat before you will not kill you. The scary stuff will come from some 1st class business man sneezing on return flight from Southern China. Till that time just have another boody mary and think about the fact that being exposed to germs strengthens your immune system.
“Putting a melting chocolate bar in a seatback is a way of punishing the airline for shoddy treatment,” said Robert Bor, a clinical aviation psychologist in London.”
That reminds me of a co-worker I had in college (let’s call him Dave). We both worked for this little pizza shop and the owners were dicks. One day, Dave had had enough and right before the Friday supper rush, he just up and left. When I saw him later at a bar I asked him what was up with him leaving. His response was “I wanted to stick it to the boss”. I said that the boss didn’t seem to care and just started looking through this big stack of resumes for a replacement (whome he proceeded to call and they started the next day). Dave didn’t screw over the boss. All he did was screw over his co-workers since we had to make up for him leaving.
@itonix:
I’m more concerned with being forced to smell baby-poo for the rest of my flight than being exposed to baby-poo-germs.
And yes… I am one of those “I hate your obnoxious children” types. *shrug*
There’s an increasing trend on the cheap airlines (Southwest, United Express, etc.) towards keeping you in your seat the entire flight. No getting up. Baby poos, you’re stuck in your seat. That’s when you pull out the hand santizer, clean up, roll out a changing pad in your lap, and do the diaper change. The tray’s going to be too flimsy, anyway. All detritus from the change goes in the airsickness bag. It’s designed to hold vomit, a bio-hazardous substance, right? Sanitize hands again, and inhale the fumes the rest of the flight. Hand sanitizer actually smells slightly less offensive than baby poo.
The worst job I ever had was my first: dishwasher/busboy at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour. No, cleaning up tables and washing dishes wasn’t the problem. We had to clean the restrooms at the end of the shift. OMFG! In the men’s room, you MIGHT have to sweep up a few cigarette ashes. There’d be almost nothing in the trash can. The Ladies Room…
@itonix: Not liking people to change a stinky diaper inches away from you is not being a “germophobe”.
while we’re on the topic… could all the young women in the audience PLEASE STOP WEARING YOUR PAJAMAS ON THE PLANE. now… a comfy outfit I can understand. but the full blown pajama pants, oversized t-shirt, and house shoes has got to go.
you are out in public people.
Jesus Christ Almighty, Is this child-haters day on Consumerist? My wife and 18 month old daughter flew from MKE to LAX recently and both of them had a ticket. This way, there was enough space for the toddler stuff-like diaper bag, snacks, and what have you. My wife changed my daughter multiple times on the ground before the flight to attempt to “clean her out”. Something about a fresh diaper that makes my daughter want to “go”. They did the flight without incident. You freaks need to lighten up.
@milw123: Again, not wanting someone to change a stinky diaper inches away from you is not being a “child-hater”. It’s demanding some common courtesy.
@dalasv: That’s funny. On a Paris to New York flight, I asked a French couple next to me if they would start making out.
@forgottenpassword: I know he didn’t do it on purpose… Nonetheless, that didn’t make it less disgusting. I guess I was off topic
Actually Meg, no we can’t “think of more ways” because the airlines have made it so that just about anything else you do while on the plane to “punish” them is now considered a terrorist act, even complaining.
@DeltaPurser: Couldn’t happen to a nicer flight attendant ha ha
@milw123: Actually you’re the freak thinking we should have to listen to your screaming brat kid for the whole flight. Seriously, we need to have child containers in cargo hold like we do for the pets. Secure play room seats with kiddie videos, oxygen, good lighting, and parents can sit down there too. But most importantly sound proofed so the brats can’t ruin the flight for anyone else. Until them I’m pretty much in favor of $5000 fines for parents who don’t / won’t keep their kids quiet when asked during a flight…
SHUT YOUR KIDS UP
Here’s another creative idea – decibel meters on each seat – kid exceeds the meter for long enough time limit, parents get fine…that makes it objective and fair, don’t you think?
@Consumer007: As annoying as crying babies and such on planes are, at least in that case the parents really may not be able to do much about it. Changing a dirty diaper in the seats, on the other hand, is active disregard, by the parents, for anyone around them.
@Franklin Comes Alive!:
I agree that changing a baby in the cabin is not the best place to do so, and on some Airbus planes(at least the ones the Jet Blue flies), they have a changing table that folds down in the bathroom.
However there are many others that don’t have a flat surface in the bathroom to change a diaper.
@Poster99: Even doing it in the aisle on the floor somewhere like the back or front of the plane would be preferable in my opinion.
@forgottenpassword: A couple of observations:
“Getting nickel & dimed with fees, incompetant TSA workers who seem to delight in screwing with you, flight delays, getting stuck on the tarmac for hours, surly flight attendants etc. etc..”
The TSA has absolutely nothing to do with the airline. Flight delays and fees have absolutely nothing to do with the flight attendants.
Maybe the reason flight attendants are surly is because by the time you’ve made it onto the plane, you’ve already been through all of that and taking it out on them? God knows, I’d be surly if my day consisted of being handed dirty diapers and being talked down to for hours by people.
“you could get threatened with “interference with a flight crew” & dragged off the plane in handcuffs”
Yeah, well flight crews have actually been attacked in recent years. I’m not talking about 9/11 either, there have been incidents over the years of people getting upset or drunk or whatever, and physically assaulting flight attendants. You think it should be OK for them to put up with physical abuse on top of everything else? The rules are there for a reason. yes, they can be abused by overly paranoid staff, but they are not superfluous.
I’m not saying they couldn’t do more to improve, but this kind of behaviour is extremely low.
The best is when they leave used syringes in the pockets of the seats.
Lots of employees get pricked by them and have to go through months of HIV and STD testing.
My father works for American Airlines.
Its really easy to tell the once a summer flyer from those of us that have to fly weekly. The Florida bound male tourist sitting next to me decides his toes in his rubber tire thongs need clipping. Aside from looking like he just got up out of bed and went to catch his flight, he had his white wife beater shirt on. As if all this isn’t bad enough, he call the flight attentant repeatedly a “stewardess”. Flying has become the armpit of travel!
@johnva: Ah, I thought that was the case last night. Kid screamed and shrieked for well over an hour. Flight attendents were visibly pissed and complained to the other passengers that the parents refused to do anything, even after the flight attendants asked them to. They didn’t give the kid anything, attempt to quiet him or walk him around. Nothing. I cut them a little slack thinking it was a baby. Nope, it was a freaking toddler. That is totally unacceptable and it’s people like that that give all the other parents and babies a bad rep.
Yes, flying with kids sucks (especially if you’re trying really hard not to be one of *those* parents), and people do gross things. In defense of diaper changers, though, this is 95% the airlines’ fault. Not only do they want you in your seat all the time, but many, many planes – including transcontinentals – have no changing table whatsoever, and the bathroom floor is so small that srsly, I can’t fit a kid and my feet down there (even if I wanted to after Elderly McShakyhands has watered the floor – hell no, I’m not putting my nice changing pad down there). I now ask (loudly) which bathroom has the changing table and, if there isn’t one, where I’m supposed to change the kid. (Answer, invariably: at my seat. But hey, I’m not the one who thinks that’s appropriate.)
BTW, I’ve also been told (when trying to walk a restive toddler) to get back to my seat and stay there because the galley was “filthy and dangerous” and “no place for a child”. Gosh, NWA, thanks – that made for an easy flight!
And oh, hey – Benadryl pushers? Why drug some kid when you could drug yourself? Have a drink and go to sleep – it’s like time travel! Or better yet, spring for the Bose headphones and actually hear your iPod.
@Consumer007: Aaaaaaaaahhhhh… that’s kinda’ sweet
Make sure to give me the secret “Consumerist Handshake” next time you’re on a DL flight and I’ll upgrade you if there’s space 
a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants, a union representing workers at several big airlines. “It’s amazing how people treat the inside of aircraft cabins as opposed to other public spaces.”
Except it is NOT a public space. It is a higly private space since one must pay for it.
As a student I worked in a 24 hour computer lab as tech support and monitor, and I’ve had my fair(or unfair) share of nasty bodily fluid clean up stories. A few lab patrons were fond of leaving chewing tobacco spit in pop bottles under the desks, and we even once found a bottle of urine. The one thing I’ve learned from that job are some people are vile and gross no matter their setting be it on an airline or in a computer lab.