NationStates Jolt Archive

I’m not usually one to complain, but this sucked.

I was on a flight, Northwest/Air France, Charles De Gaulle-Detroit Metro, in early April. I’m in an Airbus A330, I believe, the one with the 2-5-2 seating in coach class. Anyway, I’m in the foremost exit row, on the right side of the plane. Anyone that has flown in an exit row, it’s almost first class. Nearly unlimited legroom, near the bathrooms, the first ones served dinner. The Northwest A330’s are equipped with those personal entertainment thingies, so you can play movies and music any time you want it. The flight there was very good, so I was looking forward to movies, music, and sleep, as school was tomorrow. So I turn down the music, get my pillowish thing, and settle in to try to alleviate the jet lag that surely was to come.

*Thump*

What was that? My seat shook.

*Thump*

I felt it again. The behind me must have kicked my seat accidentally. Ah well, it happens. Dinner is soon, so I pop in a movie, and settle back to watch HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (slice you with sharp knife!).

*shake*

Damn. Does this guy have tourettes or what? I look behind. The guy is sleeping, or pretending to sleep. By this time, I’m getting quite perturbed. The person behind me keeps kicking my seat. I glance behind again. Dinner is coming, so he is starting to rise. I, being the polite person I am, do not say anything.

Dinner comes. Chicken like solidified protein matter in an artificially flavored chunky liquid. Yum. After dinner, the cabin lights are turned down. I start Spanglish. It looks fine.

Damnit! Pressure. Pressure in the lumbar. The one place where you can’t stand it. Will this guy quit already?! I mean, I get the picture. You are jealous of my seat and you are making me suffer for it.

By this time, I’ve had it. I knee up on my seat, and look dead into the French guy behind me.

That bastard had his legs, both of his shins, on the top of the seat! He has his knees near my headrest, and his feet where my back was.

I deal with his knees at my head the whole way to Detroit. I got no sleep, and I was pissed!

I hope none of you NSers do that. You have no idea how bad it is, especially for a transatlantic flight.

*end of rant*

Dude the guy was French, and ur an American, what can you expect

Dude the guy was French, and ur an American, what can you expect

Point, point. I just thought he had better things to do than irratate an American on a plane.

Like what, he can't exactly f*** a beautiful woman on the plane now can he? And he can't exactly order escargot (spelling ?) from an airline. So he did his third most importsnt thing on his list of French. Piss off random Americans.

What was so hard about asking him to not put his feet where he put them?

Ok, picture this.

You've just got settled into your Economy seat for a long-haul flight from London to Vancouver. You've got your iPod on, just unfolded your free newspaper, and the plane takes off. Two minutes later, the chair in front of you comes crashing back to roughly 45 degrees, and remains in that position, pinning your freshly unfolded newspaper to your chest, staying like that for the next hour and a half until mealtime. Straight after meal-time, whoomph, back it comes again.

Rinse, and repeat for the next two meals, until you land in Vancouver. Boy, that was a fun flight.

What was so hard about asking him to not put his feet where he put them?


2 Reasons

1. I am quite sure he could not understand any english. He only spoke in French, even to the Flight Crew, who were American. My rudimentery french could not tell him to put his feet down.

2. I'm generally a nice guy. HE was sleeping, so I would have felt bad for waking him up. I know, it's a big weakness.

I think it was inconsiderate of him to behave in that way, but I don't think you should make assumptions about his character based on his nationality.
It doesn't matter if the people you deride are from a wealthy nation or a poor one, a country with policies you like or dislike, you shouldn't make stereotypical remarks about their character - its bigotry.

ooo- I thought this was gong to be about naked feet. Ick.

I do not assume that all Frenchmen put their legs on the seat in front of them. I think most do not. I am just saying that this Frenchman put his feet on my seat. I know the title is a littel misleading.

2 Reasons

1. I am quite sure he could not understand any english. He only spoke in French, even to the Flight Crew, who were American. My rudimentery french could not tell him to put his feet down.

Solution 1: "Excusez-moi? Parlez-vous Anglais?"

Solution 2: "Excuse me, Ms./Mr. Flight Attendant? Could you, please, ask the passenger behind me to remove his feet from my chair, as it's very uncomfortable on my back? I'd do it myself, but I don't speak French. Thank you."

2. I'm generally a nice guy. HE was sleeping, so I would have felt bad for waking him up. I know, it's a big weakness.

Then you should take most of the blame for this. People who are bothered by something, but don't do anything about it, really shouldn't bitch about it later.

Dinner is soon, so I pop in a movie, and settle back to watch HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (slice you with sharp knife!).

I saw that, a couple of days ago. Was it just me, or does it look like they made it up as they went along without having any clear plot in mind?

And what the hell is it with flying through bamboo trees?

Just a question: was this guy tall? Sitting in a normal seat on a transatlantic flight is torture for anyone that is tall. I remember politly sitting in my chair untill a stewardess asked me if i wanted to take a seat near the exit.

(On topic of thread title not context)
I have this "friend" who has a cat who hates hands but loves feet. Unless your feet look too much like hands. Then all manner of feline-oriented hellfire ensues.
*shrug*