A recent cross-country flight I was on last year turned into a four hour-long flatulence extravaganza, which lead to the immediate illness of nearby passengers.
On Sept. 11, I traveled to Seattle with the Environmental Leadership Program to engage 30 conservation fellows from different regions across the United States.
The flight from Detroit to Seattle was four hours and 49 minutes, and I planned on taking advantage of that time to catch up on sleep and possibly watch a film. This plan was completely disrupted due to an unforeseen situation.
I had a window seat, which is the perfect spot for undisturbed rest, due to the decent head support. The middle seat was occupied by a precocious 8-year-old and beside him in the aisle seat was a senior citizen who just finished eating an egg salad.
The first hour of the flight was relaxing; I took that much-needed nap. But when I woke up I was met with an unfortunate stench.
I assumed that someone farted and I was confident that the smell would eventually cease. However, I was unaware that the gentleman in the aisle seat had been releasing flatulence for an hour while I slept.
Moments after I realized what was going on the child next me began throwing up. He emphasized that the smell was making him sick.
The senior citizen in the aisle seat constantly got up to relieve himself. Each time he got up a horrid smell trailed him, which became a growing problem for passengers around us.
Several passengers who were exposed to the smell began throwing up and heading to the restroom to minimize the damage. The cabin was now filled with the smell of throw-up and feces, while the flight attendants scattered to regain control of the flight.
We eventually landed, but we were stuck on the flight until the board walk was assembled, which was the most excruciating part.
I finally exited after what felt like forever and took a huge, relieving breath. My relaxing flight that turned into an unfortunate situation was finally over.
