Air ire

While turbulence can cause passengers to be nervous mid-flight, there are other reasons why flying can be scary.

The result of a February 2024 flight diversion investigation by Spanish authorities was revealed early this month. Investigators found that a Lufthansa plane with 199 passengers en route from Frankfurt, Germany to Seville, Spain flew pilotless for about 10 minutes.

The pilot, 43, took a toilet break and left his co-pilot, 38, in the cockpit, according to the report. When the pilot returned, he could not open the cockpit door and the co-pilot was not responding to his knocks.

A short while later, the co-pilot opened the cockpit door and the pilot rushed in to take control of the aircraft. Noticing that the first officer did not look good, the pilot decided to divert the flight to Madrid and make an emergency landing.

The co-pilot had apparently lost consciousness, New York Post reports, citing the investigation findings. Fortunately, the plane was set to auto-pilot and the passengers and crew were not in danger.

Meanwhile, a passenger was overcome by an overpowering smell aboard a plane flying from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Atlanta, Georgia in the US, according to a Reddit post of that flyer that went viral.

In the post, the Redditor complained of a fellow passenger’s cologne, earning sympathy from other Reddit users.

“Guys… you do not need to wear buckets of cologne before boarding a plane. The preferred amount would be zero. People are allergic,” wrote the user in the post titled, “Dudes and their nasty cologne,” Fox News reports.

“Honestly, it’s wholly inconsiderate to wear anything super strong in cramped spaces,” the poster added.

One commenter offered a solution to the problem.

“I think everyone needs to walk through a smell detector before they board a plane. If it’s too much they have to go home and take a shower,” read the post, according to Fox News.