Strangest passenger you have travelled with

In 1997 I travelled to IAD and in the seat behind me was the FA cup in it's own UC seat!

It was beign taken by Ian Callaghan and a number of other people around the world on a charity fun raising tour.

Passengers were able to have thier photo taken with it.

At one I point it did appear that all the cockpit crew were in the cabin and the FA cup was actually flying the aircraft!

Let's see what other strange passengers or luggage/cargo anyone else can come up with.

[HighFlyer]

LOLOL Great story

Afraid i have nothing nearly as good to match that! Only odd passengers i have flown with have been musical instruments that have had their own seat - and sat in it - and not in Y !!! I did try to work out if it was a famous band on that flight, but if it were, i certainly couldnt recognise them.

Although, i have flown in the same cabin (not at the same time) as a couple attempting 'relations' in J2000, a muslim guy who was praying to Allah when we recieved severve turbulence on MAZ, a guy who taled to me for 7 hours about dioramas then fell asleep on me on AA back from JFK, and an old boy who told me all about his previous life in the SAS and how the Queen was a secret member!

Originally posted by HighFlyer
..and an old boy who told me all about his previous life in the SAS and how the Queen was a secret member!

I can just imagine Liz in fatigues and her face camo on....

Paul

[mitchja]

I seem to have got away with this as I never seem to sit next to strange people [^]

Regards

the rear admiral says that sometimes she has to travel with me,and that can be pretty weird.

The only oddity I had was a Chinese gent sitting next to me, who got very afraid during turbulance. He insisted on holding my hand [:0], at least he did until he started barffing[:$]

Flying Cathay years ago a woman in Econ was trying to blag an upgrade on the strength of having a very large hatbox with her. Her persistance only served to anoy the crew and as a reuslt I flew into HK sitting next to an upgraded hatbox.

[:o)]

LOL great stuff!

I've never sat next to anyone really strange, but I have sat next to a huge bag of rice in 2000, and I sat next to an Italian man who insisted that he had booked an UC ticket and was insisting on getting moved to UC [:?][n].

Originally posted by sean modi
man who insisted that he had booked an UC ticket and was insisting on getting moved to UC.

Durrrr! That and the hat box leave me stunned. Do people thing flight crew are totally stupid!

Originally posted by mitchja
I seem to have got away with this as I never seem to sit next to strange people [^]

Regards

That's not what people who have sat next to you have said James! [:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]:D:D[:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]

Way back, when a was a mere teenager. I was taking a flight on AA from BHX-CGX and being only 16, I was always on the lookout for "fine looking young ladies". It must have been my lucky day, as one was assigned the seat next to me. [^]

All was going swimmingly until I plucked up the courage to ask her if she had a boyfriend and she replied, "unfortunatley, yes" and she took out a copy of the Bible. She claimed she was romantically involved with God and the only reason she flew was "to be closer to him".

The remainder of the flight was spent attempting to "pretend to be alseep"!

Originally posted by HighFlyer


Afraid i have nothing nearly as good to match that! Only odd passengers i have flown with have been musical instruments that have had their own seat - and sat in it - and not in Y !!! I did try to work out if it was a famous band on that flight, but if it were, i certainly couldnt recognise them.

Was it a cello?

On VS you have to buy a seat for a cello. It has it's own booking and everything.

I really don't know why.

No, not flown next to any strange passengers - unless you count 11 other mentalists in UC on VS020 - 12th Nov 2005

Cheers

Michael

Not sure if this is off topic or qualifies as a strange "passenger" story, but when I was much much younger I recall flying on a Saudia Tristar with an extra engine fitted to the wing. An odd sight and a little alarming for an 10 year old until I was assured it was just getting a lift 'home'. I've got a still of it somewhere...

Simon said "but when I was much much younger I recall flying on a Saudia Tristar with an extra engine fitted to the wing. "
Many years ago I was boarding a CO 747 at EWR to go to LGW, being a keen flyer, I noticed a third engine strapped to the wing near to the fuselage. I took my seat upstairs in J. The captain announced that the extra engine was being ferried and for pax not to be alarmed, "normal procedure". The chap next to me turned to me and said "thats my engine!" It turned out he was a maintenance manager for CO and had to accompany the engine to LGW in order to supervise the unloading of it, It was then being overhauled in the UK. Hew was a very friendly guy with lots of interesting anecdotes about flying.

[mitchja]

Originally posted by AlanA

Originally posted by mitchja
I seem to have got away with this as I never seem to sit next to strange people [^]

Regards

That's not what people who have sat next to you have said James! [:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]:D:D[:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]

So that's why anyone who sits next to me always ends up moving!!!! LOL [:o)]

Regards

does your family count[?][:p]

This is probably more suited for the most annoying passenger, but on a VS flight in 2003 an old guy in front of me was reading a book...out loud. Yes, out loud, for about 4 hours. I'm not sure whether he was reading it one of his fellow passengers or to himself, but it was so annoying and I could hear him talking through my headphones. It was strange...quite strange.

IÕve been resisting writing about the strangest passengers I have travelled with but I canÕt hold back my stories any longer.

The first strange passenger I have been sat next to was on a VS 16 MCO-LGW, a couple of hours into the flight when suddenly the lady sat next to me decided she was going to narrate the film she watching at the top of her voice. It was a thriller so she was telling the character to Òwatch outÓ and ÒdonÕt go in there!Ó. Other passengers were either sleeping or watching their own film. I got so many funny looks, I am sure people thought we were travelling together.

I was stuck on a flight to ORD with a retired American nurse who took great pleasure in describing the difference of the surface tension on her cup of coffee and my JD & coke. I had to down the drink in one and attempt to avoid eye-contact for the rest of the flight.

The strangest passenger who I have sat next to was on a flight from EWR to BHX. It was an elderly man in his late 70Õs who as soon as the fasten seatbelt signs were turned off made his way to the toilet and came back dressed in his pyjamas! Not a fancy sleep suit but a stripy pair of PJs. He then took out a Òone-sieÓ slipper, a single slipper that you put both feet in, gave me a smile and then tucked himself in with a blanket. He then got a book and started to read. I glanced over to casually look at the chapter of the book and that is when I had to really hold back the tears of laughter. Lets say the book was of an ÒadultÓ theme and the chapter was called ÒKnowing when to co*eÓ I had to nudge the person I was travelling with to make sure I wasnÕt seeing things.

These are only a few of the strangest people I have sat next to on flights. Why me?!

last year when i was flying to New York on American, i awoke from my sleep to see what appeared to be a man trying to force the door open! Turns out it was an elderly gent exercising his legs. He then runs off to complete a lap of the entire aircraft.

Great thread!

I have no strange stories to tell but I am enjoying reading them!

Have met a couple of strangers who now keep in touch though.

Not so much strange as an amazing coincidence: flying UC BOS-LHR last summer, it wasn't an UC suite so I actually had a seat next to me. I was chatting to the chap, usual meaningless polite chit-chat, but the conversation led us to realise that we had a mutual acquaintance - his best friend (rugby trips and law school) is my cousin.
He gave me his business card and the digits in his 'phone number turned out to be the winning Lottery numbers that Saturday night!!! [Aww right, I made up the last bit, but its a nice story...]

I was sitting next to a big Norwegian wrestler (at the UC bar) decked out in more gold than BA from the A-Team. He had a party trick of remobing a cork from an empty bottle using a napkin - about two hours and four jack daniels later he did manage it and let the FA behind the bar have a go - she had it out of there in 5 minutes flat. He went back to his seat soon after that.

I've also shared a flight back from JFK with Sharon Osbourne, the Heathrow lounge with Dolf Lungdren (the Russian from one of the Rocky films) and a girl who thought she was Paris Hilton but clearly wasnt.

Is it just me or does Virgin seem to attract a more 'colourful' clientele than most other airlines??

Originally posted by markb

Is it just me or does Virgin seem to attract a more 'colourful' clientele than most other airlines??

Well we all travel with VS, and we are all colourful VIPs. So I guess the answer is yes!

There's a guy that gets on most of my flights that has this really annoying habit of singing along to music on the IFE. It gets worse when he starts harmonising. It is kind of sub-conscious, and he finds it difficult to stop.

I'm sorry to say that guy is me.

With my apologies to all fellow pax and crew...

Originally posted by markb
I was sitting next to a big Norwegian wrestler (at the UC bar) decked out in more gold than BA from the A-Team. He had a party trick of remobing a cork from an empty bottle using a napkin - about two hours and four jack daniels later he did manage it and let the FA behind the bar have a go - she had it out of there in 5 minutes flat. He went back to his seat soon after that.

yes, but did she use the napkin, or her mouth? [:I][:o)][:o)][:I]