Freaky flyers

With frequent reports of altercations involving passengers and crew during flights, having only a few flyers on board should spare them from airline travel’s emotional or physical troubles.

When Washington-based chef Anthony Thomas recently flew on a Southwest Airlines flight, only three other passengers were aboard. He posted a selfie of what he described as a “luxury” flight on 14 February, adding that he could recline in peace, the New York Post reported.

The photo went viral, getting 35 million views, as it also showed one of the other passengers seated behind Thomas with a facial expression of disgust.

“Of all the seats on the flight, look where he decided to sit,” the caption read.

The report did not say if Thomas was able to recline his seat or if the other passenger moved to another center in the almost empty flight as the airline has an open seating policy.

Meanwhile, a Delta Air Lines flight departed Amsterdam, Netherlands, on the same day as Thomas’s post, bound for Detroit, Michigan, according to CNN. The plane turned back to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport from where it had taken off one hour and 49 minutes earlier after one passenger freaked out over the little creatures that fell on her.

“We apologize to the customers of Flight 133 AMS-DTW as their trip was interrupted due to an improperly packed carry-on bag,” Delta Airlines later said in a statement sent to CNN Travel. “The aircraft returned to the gate, and the passengers were placed on the next flight. The aircraft was removed from service for cleaning.”

Passenger Philip Schotte, an Iowa resident, told Detroit TV station FOX 2 (WJBK) that the woman beside him was fighting off maggots.

Schotte said the flight crew eventually traced the maggots to a passenger’s bag, which contained rotten fish wrapped in newspaper, CNN reports.

According to its website, the US airline does not prohibit passengers from bringing aboard perishable food items, including fish, as long as it does not violate agricultural regulations.