Worst Flight Ever

Monday morning my flight left KCI at 6 am, headed to Atlanta and on to Savannah, Georgia. I would then drive to Hilton Head Island for a three day Mock Survey. 6 AM flights require that one gets out of bed very early to make it to the airport no later than 5 AM. My timing was tight and I walked directly from security to board the plane. I was flying Delta and my seat was 13B. I very rarely end up with middle seats, but this time was an exception. When I cleared the doorway separating first class from the rest of the travelers I looked ahead to find my row and the sight was not welcome. The aisle seat was filled (and I do mean 'filled') with a gentleman who was much larger than his seat allowed. In fact, as I looked back to row 13 I could see very little space between him and the fellow seated by the window.

I indicated to him that I was the center seat customer. When I sat down, I immediately reached to pull the armrest down. He asked that I wait until he was seated and he would lower it. I did, and he did. But even with the arm rest defining the space, he spilled into my seat. My ability to change positions was severely compromised. There was no way to 'not touch' him. I was scooted to the side of my seat almost impinging on the fellow's space by the window. I told him I was sorry if I was crowding him, but I didn't have a choice. The flight (lift off to touch down) was about a hour and 40 minutes, but seemed like it lasted for days. My body was so stiff and sore by the time we landed I wasn't sure if I would be able to move. And I was getting more anxious as the minutes ticked by. I'm usually not claustrophobic, but I was having to deep breath and talk to my self to keep from screaming out loud. Early on I considered asking to move, but the flight was full and someone would have to sit by him. Once the bell dinged, he jumped right up and I took a deep breath. The good news, I had all three seats to myself on the connection from Atlanta to Savannah.

I was miserable the rest of the day. Every joint and bone in my body ached, even with aleve and ibuprofen on board. After a good nights sleep I feel fine. Aches, pain, and anxiety are resolved.

First time I have experienced that in six year of traveling and I hope it is another 16 years before I ever go through that again.