Sharing Some "Asshole" Travel Stories

p1 ama on 29/02/2020 - 00:29
Last edited 29/02/2020 - 00:29

I've recently moved into a role that's required me to spend more time travelling. Those who travel for work know that it's gruelling. It's not like going on a holiday. Very often, after a 10+ hour flight, you need to be ready to work within just 24 hours.

Even though I generally enjoy travel, love the people I meet and want to keep travelling for work for at least the next year or so to see more of the world, I've become really disappointed at the way that people behave when they travel. I remember travelling when I was young and everyone seemed much more decent and civil (in the 90's). In the intervening years, I've been busy with work, got married, had kids…etc. so I haven't really travelled much in ages!

Anyway, I thought we could share our stories so that we can have a laugh and maybe have opposing viewpoints on what exactly is and isn't okay.

—

This is my first story - I was on a MEL-LAX flight, departing at 8.55PM and arriving at 6.10PM in LA. It's a 15 hour flight. My plan was to try and get to sleep ASAP, so literally around from an hour into the flight to around 4 - 5 hours into the flight. My aim was then to work and try to stay awake for the remaining 9 - 10 hours so that I would be ready to crash as soon as I landed in LA and sleep till a regular morning time there.

I was in a B787 PE seat which is a 2-3-2 configuration. I had the window seat. When I woke up to get some work done on my laptop, I must have disturbed the guy next to me. He woke up and complained about "who works at this time?" and that he had "paid to sleep in comfort". Interestingly enough, I had paid to work in comfort too, but that fact seems ignored. I suggested that he use the eye mask in the amenity kit and that I would be happy to lend him my Bose QC35 if it made him feel better (I didn't want to spend the next 10 hours fighting with this guy). He refused and continued to act like a wanker to me for the entire flight. Sighing and groaning every time I had to get out of my seat, refusing to pick up things I dropped that were under his feet…etc.

Was what I did that bad? Or was the guy just being an ass? Any stories you guys want to share?

Not to mention another domestic flight where someone complained about having to "sit next to an Asian (i.e. me)" because they didn't want to be infected by the virus. For the record, I'm a third-generation Australian, not ethnically Chinese and lived in Australia my entire life and have never even been to China. Seems that airlines are just putting up with these wankers because they need to fill seats.

I have a thick Australian accent (grown up in the outer fringes of Melbourne in working class neighbourhood) and even after I explained to her that I haven't been to China and she has nothing to fear, she continued to argue with me. It wasn't until a white dude literally told her to STFU that she did so.

Travel

Comments

  • BiryaniBoi on 29/02/2020 - 01:31
    -6

    "sit next to an Asian (i.e. me)" because they didn't want to be infected by the virus

    Did you get a free seat next to you then? :)

    As an Asian Australian, I've yet to experience something like this. Wish it could happen though. I'd love to take the mickey and pretend I did have it and start scaring racist white people lol!

    • aussieprepper on 29/02/2020 - 01:41
      +1

      What makes you say the person was white? My best mate is Chinese Indo and most of the racism he receives isn't from white people its from other ethnic minorities like Europeans?

      • p1 ama on 29/02/2020 - 02:49
        +1

        Never experienced real racism (I don't really call this situation racist, it's more just uninformed people having too much of a voice), but my Asian friends seem to tell me that they get the most racism from other Asians.

    • p1 ama on 29/02/2020 - 02:48

      Did you get a free seat next to you then? :)

      Nope, it was a 3-3 configuration. I was in the window, bimbo was in the middle, a middle-aged white guy was in the aisle. He swapped seats with her. We ended up having a decent chat so I had a good flight overall.

      As an Asian Australian, I've yet to experience something like this. Wish it could happen though. I'd love to take the mickey and pretend I did have it and start scaring racist white people lol!

      To be honest, I would have done that, but I probably would have been quarantined, thrown off the flight and sent to a hospital to be tested. Let's say I wasn't willing to go through that to take the mickey out of some bimbo.

  • Donaldhump on 29/02/2020 - 01:51
    +6

    You were working through the night, I would be pissed off too if you were fidgeting, and preventing me from sleeping.
    Goto bed or sit still and watch tv.

      • Tech5 on 29/02/2020 - 03:25
        +21

        Sleep trumps work because it is night time. You are literally up at 2am saying "So what if you need to sleep, I need to work. What gives you the right to try sleep at 2am"

        I'm all for not conforming to societal norms, but if you are in a flying metal tube with hundreds of other people (And you don't want to go business or first), now is not the time to test the boundaries.

        If it was daytime hours, sure, work overrides sleep.

        If I was sitting next to you, and you kept waking me, I would be pissed too.

        • timthetoolman on 29/02/2020 - 08:40
          -3

          Op wasn't telling anyone not to sleep though, in fact he offered to help the guy out by offering him his $300 earphones. Sounds like the guy was a jerk.

          Business class does sound like the way to go though

      • Donaldhump on 29/02/2020 - 10:19
        +1

        Let me know where you live and I’ll sit on the edge of your bed tonight and do some work, maybe laugh really loud, maybe push you a few times when I need a piss, because I have no ability to drain my tank before the flight leaves.

        Do I get pissed if someone wakes me up to need a piss, well only if it’s constant and not medically related. I don’t get on planes how the second the seat belt light goes off half the plane needs a piss, can’t people urinate whilst doing sfa for the 3 hours before the flight.

        • timthetoolman on 29/02/2020 - 12:22

          What an irrelevant comment. Op wasn't going out of his way to annoy someone, and they'd both paid for the flight. He didn't go to the other blokes place of work and try to annoy him.

          Might want to inform the airline that people are allocating x amount of urinal trips during a 15 hour flight as well.

        • p1 ama on 29/02/2020 - 12:31
          +1

          This is exactly what I mean by a lack of civility.

          Let me be clear, my issue is not that the guy wants to sleep. I offered him to use an eye mask, and also my $350 headphones (which I was actually using at the time) to block out any noise. If he had just asked politely, I would have been happy to just sit and read for the next 2 - 3 hours or so.

          It's pretty hard to get along with someone when the first thing they say to you is "go to sleep you (profanity) a**hole". The problem isn't me working or him sleeping, it's that people today don't communicate with each other and keep doing passive aggressive things until something blows up. If the guy had just said "hey, I'm pretty tired and need to sleep" or something like that, I would have stopped working immediately.

          This isn't unique to flying, it's exactly the same thing on the road. Everyone seems to think everyone else is a d**ckhead or a moron. You wonder why people become uncivil.

  • Cluster on 29/02/2020 - 02:38

    I would have offered to swap seats. He could wedge himself against the hull and go to sleep, while you had the aisle seat and could get up at any time.

    • p1 ama on 29/02/2020 - 02:44
      +1

      I offered exactly that, but he wanted the aisle. I'm sure I'm not the first person to say that air travel is uncivil.

  • Meho2026 on 29/02/2020 - 06:06
    +18

    Of course its not unreasonable for you to work in the seat you paid for but your behaviour was disturbing the other passenger and thats inconsiderate.

    You had a bright laptop screen open when you knew he was trying to sleep, you kept dropping things which means your were fidgeting and moving around and you kept getting up to the toilet which obviously disturbs him.

    This guy couldve worked a 12 hour plus day and be absolutely exhausted, paid extra money for PE comfort with a reasonable expectation that he would be able to get a better rest than in economy. You ruined that experience for him.

    You did exactly what you wanted to do and made sure he couldnt do what he wanted, which was to sleep.
    You selected a window seat when you knew your intention was to stay awake. The configuration of 2-3-2 means you could have chosen an aisle seat in the middle section to minimise disruption to others when you repeatedly got out of your seat. You didnt do that and you dont seem to be able to understand why this guy was annoyed with you.

    Youre actions were pre planned, selfish and you were very annoying to others. Thats not OK.

    I think its you that is acting privilaged and entitled, you believe that your desire to work is far more important than anyone elses needs.

    You were on a business trip and working throughout the flight. If you want to do that you should fly business class where this sort of thing does not disturb other people.

    • montorola on 29/02/2020 - 10:35
      +4

      Youre actions were pre planned, selfish

      Lol, savage.

  • dasher86 on 29/02/2020 - 08:17
    +14

    I once took a premium economy flight to LA.
    I had just finished working a double shift in the hospital.
    I had a major event to attend that evening basically an all nighter and wanted to get as much sleep as possible so when I landed I would be good all night.
    I know, stupid me to cut times short but I was really needed at work. And stupid me for not flying business.
    I had some inconsiderate passenger sit next to me. It was fine at first as he was asleep for the first few hours while I settled myself down watch a few movies.
    I usually choose the aisle seat as I like to be able to get up stretch my legs and use the bathroom anytime I want. I get a little claustrophobic so it's nice to know I can get up and love any time I want without disturbing the person next to me.
    So I finally get to sleep I don't know what ungodly hour it is, the guy next to me is awake and using his laptop.
    The bloody white light is filling up the cabin and the tap tap tap is annoying everyone around us, clearly he was oblivious to this.
    I make a few snarky comments half asleep, to which he replies incoherently (well I couldn't understand his thick accent I was half asleep) something about listen to music if I'm annoying you.
    The worse thing was that he kept dropping things, I don't know if it was delibrate to annoy me after I berated him or by accident but by the amount of times he had to get up to use the toilet as well I think it was the latter.
    I got to LA really tired not having had enough sleep so I had to miss half of the event.

  • johnno07 on 29/02/2020 - 08:23
    +6

    Is this an AITA post, then my answer is yes.

    • pegaxs on 29/02/2020 - 09:19

      Was about to say the same thing… should have been posted to /r/AmItheAsshole

  • Tee Rex Arms on 29/02/2020 - 08:47
    +7

    Day flight = work. Night flight = sleep.

  • elgrande on 29/02/2020 - 09:15
    +1

    Sharing Some "(profanity)" Travel Stories

    Not the post I was expecting..

  • garetz on 29/02/2020 - 09:25

    I'm pretty sure you are the (profanity) in that story op.

  • spychiatrist on 29/02/2020 - 10:08
    +1

    The lack of self-awareness in this post is staggering.

  • PissLUR on 29/02/2020 - 10:46

    Op is the (profanity)

  • ScuseMe on 29/02/2020 - 11:17
    +2

    Why would you expect others to pickup things you dropped? There's barely enough room to sit comfortably, I'll be mad too if I had to twist my body and look for things someone else dropped.

    There's a reason they dim the lights after meal service. Because majority of people like to sleep on overnight flights. There's 250+ people in close proximity so you need to respect others and not treat your seat as private space and do whatever you like.

    There's a reason Business class is called "Business class". There's bit more privacy to get things done and not bother others. Just because you paid for the seat doesn't mean you own it. Everyone else on that flight paid too. You're not above others( no pun intended)

  • p1 ama on 29/02/2020 - 12:05

    Looks like I'm an (profanity), fair enough. I'll take on the feedback.

    But for the record, I think my point is generally misunderstood. I take flights every few weeks, most of which are night flights. I've had issues with one single passenger.

    And like my original post says, the flight was from 9PM, everyone was awake for the first 1 - 2 hours, I slept for the next 4 - 5 hours, so I was awake from around 4AM Melbourne time, or 9AM LA time. Everyone woke up in around 2 - 3 hours anyway, so the idea that I ruined this guy's flight is silly.

    If anything, he lost 2 - 3 hours sleep even if we all say that everything was my fault.

    I've never had a single issue like this with anyone else. You would think eye masks and ear plugs are provided for a reason.

    But hey, I'm not inconsiderate, I'm happy to twiddle my thumbs and read for 2 - 3 hours and wait till others wake up if you all think that's a better move.

  • [Deactivated] on 29/02/2020 - 12:20
    +3

    You travel for work. If work wants you to work then they should pay for business class. As they pay economy, they don't expect you to work.

    • raptormesh on 29/02/2020 - 12:30

      This, if you want to work on a plane go business. Or use one of those tablets with keyboard covers.

  • nahi11 on 29/02/2020 - 13:21
    +1

    It turns out OP is the '(profanity)'. A good plot twist.

  • uncompressed on 29/02/2020 - 16:19
    +1

    NTA. You want to sleep in comfort, pay for first or business class. Or use earplugs/eye masks.

  • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2020 - 16:58

    Minor one but really shit me. Had a small (150cm) woman sitting behind me in cattle class and as soon as the dinner trolley appeared 20ish rows ahead of us started complaining and kicking my seat as I was reclined during dinner service. When I got my food I sat upright and then she got hers. As soon as the dinner was over I went back to recline and she instantly got pissed again. I got her back with kindness though as I helped her get her luggage down from above my seat when we landed. Flight was SanFrancisco to Sydney so most of the time I was asleep.

    • montorola on 01/03/2020 - 20:07
      +1

      Lol you should've sat down and reclined one last time after the plane landed hahaha

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