For the third time in the last year or so, somebody nearby me has terrible b o. Why in the world do people not shower before they get on a flight?

I've begun packing Vicks so I can swab it in my nostrils to overcome the stench. This never used to happen to me.

Flew coach on Turkish Air with Istanbul being a major connecting center to SubSahara destinations and elsewhere. It was almost overwhelming the smell. First thing everyone did was take off shoes and socks.

Once my wife sat between 2 older Indian ladies going on Singapore Airlines to Calcutta. First thing they did and probably by design was pull out their tiffin lunch . Wife called the attendant and with one look moved her to a better seat.

When flying to Southeast Asia there a few people that reeks of ****ing onions.

Similar experience flying Singapore to Sri Lanka. Yeah, that flight was pungent. I was next to a couple with a sick baby, but they found me a better seat to give more room for the baby.

Flight from Paris. I was in an aisle seat, on the row next to mid cabin crapper, seated next to a cheese eating, stinking French man. It got worse when an old man walked down the aisle with a newspaper folded under his arm (guess the coffee hit the chute), and destroyed the bathroom. The FA were even complaining about him.

Long flight.

Anubus said:

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When flying to Southeast Asia there a few people that reeks of ****ing onions.

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In the mid 2010s, I worked for an Indian manager who swore that putting onions in your shoes would solve a whole host of problems with your feet.

He also had some interesting stories about people who could read your past lives and how many lives they could go back into your various reincarnations.

So take that info for what it's worth.

On DXB-IAH in economy, a/k/a the EK 777 Calcutta Express. Ass to elbow, full plane, half of passengers look like they started their journey 36hrs ago on the back of a water buffalo. Flight time 16h 35min.

About an hour in hit with an overwhelming smell of **** and piss from the seat directly in front. Didn't even look to see what was happening up there. From a psychological standpoint figured I was better off not knowing.

Only relief was to zip a fleece above nose and mouth as a crude particulate filter and power through. No drugs. No alcohol. Was raw-dogging life.

Fast forward 16hrs later, people shuffling around getting ready to land at IAH. Look under the seat in front to see if I dropped anything and see 5 balled-up dirty-diapers.

Ended up with a nice upper respiratory infection from rebreathing own air inside a fleece jacket. But we still here.

Lesson learned; beware of the Calcutta express in economy. It could have just as well happened on Spirit, Frontier or Southwest, but not for 16hours.

Spore Ag said:

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Flew coach on Turkish Air with Istanbul being a major connecting center to SubSahara destinations and elsewhere. It was almost overwhelming the smell. First thing everyone did was take off shoes and socks.

Once my wife sat between 2 older Indian ladies going on Singapore Airlines to Calcutta. First thing they did and probably by design was pull out their tiffin lunch . Wife called the attendant and with one look moved her to a better seat.

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Yep - been there.

The smell got my wife. The digital arrow location and time till prayer for Allah on the plane wayfinder was what got me.