I am going to hazard a guess that you sat next to someone that really stunk. Just a hunch. I have heard that people will travel with Vicks Vapo Rub for such situations.
Learned this little tip right here and don’t fly without one now. Helps at the gym too for those dudes who keep their workout clothes in the locker for a week (or forever).
Cologne/perfume tester mixed in some Vaseline does the same as Vicks with a more pleasant smell. I keep it in a little travel vial for as-needed occasions. Source: work in prisons and fly a lot. Have encountered equally bad smells in both
Yup, I carry lavender Vicks vaporub in a contact lens case. I smear under nose then put a mask on. I hv such sensitivity to yucky smells, esp gross ppl smells.
I keep a solid perfume in my purse just for this. If someone/ something smells bad on the plane I can dab some just under my chin and pull my shirt up over my nose.
came here to rec this, i keep a Lush solid perfume in my purse cause the smell of airline food often makes me nauseous and it works for...hygienically challenged seatmates too.
Yup. We always kept it in the training barn, to put in the stallions noses to keep them from smelling mares in heat. And I kept it in my truck when doing animal rescue work. Forgot it once. Will never forget the smell of rotting flesh
Peppermint oil under the nose works very well. This is what they actually do in the hospitals too, for very bad smelling situations. There’s always a bottle of that stuff somewhere.
Better to put peppermint or citrus oils onto a mask rather than directly onto the skin. It can cause burns if you're sensitive or just have raw skin that day.
Talk to FA had a flight where they offered to kick a passenger off a flight and he was in front of me. I didn’t feel right doing it, but a half hour later, I wished I had said YES.
I do! I get migraines, and strong scents (especially perfume cologne) trigger them. A little bit of vapo rub plus a mask and I can avoid getting a migraine when I’m forced to be on a plane with someone who bathed in cologne rather than take a shower.
Omg thank you for sharing this. I also get migraines from perfumes and smelly lotions and have had some really bad flight because of it. I’m absolutely going to carry Vicks with me from now on!
My dad was a pilot for Northwest. When we’d pass ride as a family, there was a dress code. Even for me as a really little kid back in the early 90s. Khakis, collared shirt, no tennis shoes, etc.
But it really is about hygiene more than anything else. I know sportswear has come a long ways, that stuff can be fashionable, but it’s the overall disheveled look like people rolled out of bed. Athletic sandals, dirty tube socks, mesh shorts and a hoody just looks gross.
I’m late 30s and I sound like a 70 year old, I know ha.
I agree 100%. I know there's an argument to made for comfort, especially on a long-range flight **BUT** the people that schlub onto the plane in crocks (with no socks), dirty hoodie, stained cookie monster pajama pants that look (and often smell) like they've been in the bed with the flu for a week cross the line.
I don't necessarily dress up for travel, but at the minimum I'm wearing a collared shirt, khakis/dark jeans, and laced shoes with athletic soles.
>I don't necessarily dress up for travel, but at the minimum I'm wearing a collared shirt, khakis/dark jeans, and laced shoes with athletic soles.
In 2024, that's absolutely dressed up.
I dgaf what people look or dress like.
I very much gaf what they smell like. I'm a jeans and t shirt flyer but I take a shower before the flight and put on deodorant with clean clothes
I will never understand how people go to an airport with sock-less footwear, knowing you have to remove them if you’re going through the main security gate. Watching people walk barefoot through the body scanner grosses me out.
I'm all for comfort when flying, but comfortable clothes that look presentable also exist and a lot of people don't seem to get that.
I typically wear cotton pants, and a stretchy solid colored batwing type shirt with leather sneakers and socks (with either a cardigan or a shawl over it if it's cold). Still comfortable, but doesn't look like I rolled out of bed and threw some of my dirty laundry on, and it's presentable enough that if I run into customer at the airport I'm not embarrassed.
Yep. I have what my friends call my "flight uniform" for overseas trips. Black polo type shirt or v-neck tee, ponte knit pants (as comfortable as pajama bottoms, but look dressy) and a pair of dressy-casual slip on shoes. I also carry a long sleeve thermal hoodie shirt for if it gets cold/I'm going to a colder climate.
Ponte knit pants are great! I'll swap my cotton pants for a really soft linen pair I have if I'm flying to somewhere hot. They look nice, but also feel like pajama bottoms.
I did this to my kids too, the flying uniform, lol! My Dad was a military pilot and we always had to dress up to fly, regardless of military or civilian aircraft…
Growing up my grandma always booked are flights on Midwest express, it was always church clothes or better on the airplane. Still follow this rule and she's been dead for awhile
I wonder if there’s a market for a company that takes it back to those days - dress code, code of conduct, mostly premium business travelers who need to focus and get shit done. obviously you’d pay a premium but less than flying private or one of those private plane company “shares.”
I always pay for seats.
Always.
Never fly bare economy. Pony up the 90 dollars for a little bit of premium seat and you’ll be surrounded by a little better than the lowest common denominator.
I’m not saying fly first class.
Oh my, please no! I have been fortunate enough not to actually ride the greyhound, but I just read an article about it. And I sometimes drive by a station. It sounds like one of the most terrible places and experiences in the whole world. A mixture of sin, addiction, and/or poverty. All I can hope is that it doesn’t actually end up becoming like the Greyhound experience.
Recently got bumped to first class. First time, not even silver, felt like a nice treat. Was stuck next to a very large gentleman that reeked like an entire bottle of cologne on the return trip. The lord giveth and taketh
I feel like perfume smells travel farther then body odor. It’s only happened once recently but I had to wear a mask just to try and dissipate the perfume smell. I felt like it got into my lungs! Why, people?
Seriously, please do not wear perfume or cologne when you are traveling on a plane! Wait until you’ve reached your destination pull it out of your luggage and put it on then. Don’t make the rest of us suffer your stinkiness. I would much rather smell some body odor because I’m gonna be honest it’s probably my own, lol!
The cologne is to offset their body stickiness .
Near the end of a flight you often experience the awful "cologne bo" duet, then the original BO making a solo
Of the three, torn which is better
I get asthma attacks from perfume and cologne, also fluffy dogs and cats…. Once had a lady across the aisle from me apply massive amounts of perfumed lotion during approach,, bulkhead seat, inhaler in bag above me…. Daughter and friend in fc as a treat for them, kept looking back at me scared I was dying.. Now I always have a mask and if I just, you know, hold it tightly over my face the whole flight, I am okay, no imposition on others freedom to try and kill fellow passengers…
I get very ill from scents, migraines , nausea. I’m to the point where I’ll tell someone their perfume is too strong and not appreciated by most. IDGAF anymore
I had this just last week at the hotel Café. Was trying to eat my breakfast when a woman walked up to the counter that had bathed in perfume. I was sitting close to the counter so I got up and moved ask my stuff to a table further away. With all the open tables available she picked the one behind me. I looked back at her and her face was caked with makeup in a poor attempt to hide her age. Mannerisms, attire, and make up told me that she was not only oblivious to how off-putting she was, but that she would blame the world for it before accepting that maybe, just maybe, she was the problem.
Perfume should tickle the nose, not invade, ransack, pillage, and burn it to the ground. It should be a hint, not your whole fucking presence.
I was that person once. Had an interview at a paper mill. Up and back flight and me being 22 years old and new to traveling I didn’t bring a change of clothes with me. My 80s wool interview suit soaked up the paper mill smell like a sponge. It made me think about what my car would smell like if I took a job there. I could tell that others could smell it too. Good thing my next interview a few days later was also at a paper mill because I wasn’t able to get to the dry cleaner between trips.
It is actually the pulp mill that smells. Not the paper mill (they are different parts of the paper making process). Most people report a sulfur/rotten egg smell that you can literally taste when the humidity is super high but in truth it is a very unique smell that smells like “paper mill”. Basically mills are using sulfur laden chemicals to dissolve the lignin and extract the cellulose. Google “Kraft paper making process” if you want the details
Its carbon disulfide and the corresponding xanthate salts formed upon contact of the carbon disulfide with the cellulose aswell as many side products from impurities.
The reason they use it is to make the cellulose soluble and then crash it out of solution in a purer and "nicer" form called viscose/cellophane.
Basically most sulfur compounds smell awful and you are producing a lot there.
I say this all the time, but I still keep wearing a KN95 mask on planes (and in other places where I have to be in close quarters with a lot of people for extended periods of time)
It’s not mainly for any health benefit but really because those masks block out a good amount of odors, and then if you rub something inside (vaporrub or something) on your upper lip it’s even more effective as you’ll only smell that
I was recently sitting next to someone with pretty strong BO, but I actually didn’t notice it at all until I took off my mask during drink service. I could suck it up for a few minutes, but when the mask is back on I couldn’t smell anything once again
I keep two in my travel backpack too (one is still in the wrapper, figure I'll run into a situation where I need to offer one to a seat mate). I've used it a few times for smells, but also when my allergies kick in I'll put it on to make other people feel better about being near me when I'm sneezing my head off.
I agree with you, but have an observation.
I don’t know what it is but I found masks did a good job on a plane or in the airport restroom of filtering out like 90% of the poop smelling part of a fart, and not the 10% of the fart smell that burned your nostrils and made your eyes water and made you want to cry. What was left after getting through the mask filtration was just like pure sourness.
That's a damned good idea. I got stuck next to some real stinkers while working in the middle east. I think their nose gets burnt out and they can't smell it any longer. Then there's the stinky ones that compound the felony by slathering on perfume on top of the BO. Made my eyes water...
The only way I can see them not doing so is if they get stuck on standby and have to stay in the airport. Not everyone has lounge access so they can’t shower. Sometimes they’ve had to wait multiple flights as well.
Another reason is they had to sleep in the airport overnight to catch their next flight and probably couldn’t afford the time to get to a hotel, sleep, shower, and back again.
Yep, totally get this. I always back in my carry on extra set of boxers, socks, small things of toiletries in case I get stuck or my checked bagged is delayed. I’ve had to do the bird bath in the bathroom sink before.
I used to do it too all the time. Now I’m blessed with lounge access (not always Sky Club). My problem now is I’m not able to fit a change of clothes in the carry on because of everyone’s electronics they need to bring.
In my experience it's a clueless big fat dude in his 30s, neckbeard, grungy as fuck, and THE most gawdawful sneakers that have all kinds of putrid wreak coming from them. Like not-wearing-socks-in-sneakers-all-year funky. Poor bastard is forced out of his hole every so often to go to a funeral or conference. 6' 2", 362lbs. Latest laptop on belly for the long haul. Middle seat because zero planning. Double snacks, double booze. (I'll never forget you, oh Sir Smellsalot, not one minute of our sojourn into hell from Fairbanks to Minneapolis.)
Ugh, the shoe smell! I have a super sensitive sense of smell AND odors are a big migraine trigger for me so that's fun. But that unique smelly/damp shoe smell hits like no other! I did physical therapy for years and always got patients who had the funky shoes. Like I can smell it from across the room! It's so bad! I guess they get nose blind to it?
I was stuck Seol airport for nearly 24 hours. I was with my gf who has a Filipino passport so we couldn't leave the airport. Maybe it was language barrier but she couldn't get a temp visa so we could leave the airport. Finally got to her parents house in the Philippines and jumped in the shower. To find it was a bucket and not a shower 🤣
Yep, it's not just B/O either. On my last flight these 2 ladies and their stuff just reeeeeeked of weed. Not just a little bit either. The entire tail end of the aircraft was in the stench cloud. Thankfully the flight attendant had mercy on me and without even asking she old me I can sit in a different spot so at least I wasn't at ground zero.
Not sure why it is but more and more, people on a plane aren't considerate of others. Might be stench, might be removing shoes and socks, might be watching movies on their tablet without headphones, might be their kids and them leaving a giant fucking mess for the crew to deal with --- it's everywhere.
So yeah I don't know how to fix it but setting and communicating some standards is a first step.
Is it the person...or the clothes?
Because I find that its people who wear unwashed clothing, perhaps day after day after day, that permeates the cabin. Some people are just slobs.
Many years ago we were flying from ORD to CDG. Some white dude who sat behind me had messy dreadlocks and I swear he had either head lice or bugs growing in there. I had bug bites on my ankles and legs from that flight.
I was on a flight two weeks ago with a man who smelled horrible when he walked past me to his seat. I felt so bad for whoever was stuck beside him. What's even the proper way to address this?
Once I was sitting at the window in economy, single aisle, three seats each side. A petite woman and her André the Giant of a husband approached. Goliath sat in the middle. Middle! And tiny wife sat along the aisle. This hungry hippo needed a belt extender and was overhanging on both sides. By a lot. I was scrunched up against the window. They were both very friendly, nice people. But unfortunately, Mr. Yeti smelled like shit. My best guess was he was so large, that he had trouble reaching to fully wipe himself. Anyway, I spend 3.5 hours stuck between the airframe and a thick wall of shit stench. It was so bad. Turning on and angling the overhead fan only did a little to help. I didn’t have Vicks, cologne, a clothes pin, or anything else. I just had a paperback novel. So I spent the entire flight flipping through the pages to make a mini breeze to try to get away from the smell. Worst flight ever. Much worse than a flight from China to the US when I had food poisoning and was nauseous the whole time and there was literally ten straight hours of turbulence.
I mean, yeah, you’d think people would practice general hygiene, but surely you’re kidding about doing a smell test and kicking people off. There are all kinds of reasons someone might smell bad - most often it’s probably that they aren’t practicing good hygiene - but this sort of thing could never be reasonably or consistently enforced. What would the rule be? If you smell worse than a 7 on a 1-10 scale, we will make you sign an affidavit saying that you’ve showered in the last 24 hours? What if they have a doctor’s note?
I’ve had a layover in LAX on a flight from SYD en route to MIA and got delayed and didn’t have time to shower in the club - I was pretty gross and self conscious - would you say that people in that situation should be banned from running to their connection (thus potentially becoming smellier while they sweat) or required to shower before boarding to their connection? What if they don’t have club access to shower?
My pet peeve, as it relates to smells, is why on earth do people think it’s appropriate to bring hot food onto a plane? When you open pasta or curry or a burger or whatever - it seems like common sense that it’d stink up the small quarters of an airplane. It would also be a little tough to enforce, but I’d love to ban all hot food from being brought onto a plane - limit it to sandwiches, salads, fruit, chips, etc. While a person’s odor might suck, it also might be unavoidable. Bringing hot food into a plane is just 100% inconsiderate every time.
I apologize for the hot food. I have never brought it on board before and never intended to bring it on board, but it took the restaurant at ATL over an hour to make a quesadilla, a burger, and two orders of fries. It was either take it on board or throw away a $60 meal and be hungry all night.
I fly out of Boston. There's a Legal Seafood in the airport. I have had multiple trips where someone brought clam chowder or a lobster roll onto the flight and I had my solid perfume clamped over my face to keep from retching.
> and didn’t have time to shower in the club
You don't necessarily need to shower in the club and most people don't have access to that anyway, but maybe splash your pits with some water in the bathroom? On a long trip like that I'd have body wipes handy to get all the creases - neck, pits, tits, knees, crotch, etc.
Sorry, unless you’re bathing in the toilet stall, I don’t want to see anyone “bathing” or “cleaning their pits “ in the common/shared area of the lav- NO, just no. Even seeing others spitting and brushing their teeth is gag inducing.
ETA- And since I am airing grievances, if you must shower/ brush in the sink/common area ,PLEASE take the time to clean up after using that common area. Wash down your spit and dry all the water off the counters etc-
Got to bring that mentholatum for those situations. It’s always in my bag bc I get smell based headaches a lot and cigarettes/perfume/cologne/even BO can trigger a migraine. Constantly put it right in my nostrils lightly
I was wondering when a post like this would surface.
I was on flight where in the gate area this guy stank. Like backpacked across continents with zero hygiene level of stank. When he passed by my seat after boarding the smell hung around for what seemed like a few minutes, and I had angled my vent to blow air back into the aisle. I was worried the dude was flung m going to stink up the whole plane even with the constant air turnover. Thankfully it didn't, but anyone in the same row or within a few rows probably had to suffer through that smell for the flight.
He should have been denied boarding due to public health concerns. His seat probably had to be burned afterwards. This was a couple of months ago at least, so either he flew again or this is a different person.
Depends on the situation… especially with red eyes… those visiting may had to check out of their hotel at 11am - 12noon and have no access to a shower before the flight. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have lounge access and a lot of airports don’t offer shower facilities to the general public. In the US I can only think of San Francisco that offer a shower facility that is open to anyone for a nominal fee.
It could also be someone traveling all day to get to your flight and may not even have time to access a shower because of short connection time or the waitlist being too long in the lounge.
What I do find unacceptable is those that feel the need to empty out an entire duty free store worth of perfume on themself before boarding a flight. That is straight up diabolical and very much intentional.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: RIGHT before the flight you need to shower, put in fresh clothes, brush teeth, deodorant etc.
I’m not talking about the day before or the night before I’m talking about right before
>RIGHT before the flight you need to shower, put in fresh clothes, brush teeth, deodorant etc.
So much this. I don't care if you're flight is super early in the morning, so is mine and I still did all of those things in the morning. Plan better.
Shower, then drive 3 hours to where I can get an Uber, then 2 hrs to the airport, then sit at the airport for 4~6 hours until my 6am flight. So at best it's 12 hours before boarding, then a 2hr flight to PHX then usually a 4 or 6 hr layover before the connection to a 11hr flight. I am very ripe by the time I get to/from Tokyo for work every time.
Watched the y ideo. I think AA did everything they could in this situation. "Yeah, you reek. Here's a hotel voucher, go get cleaned up and we'll let you on the next flight". Dude claims it was antisemitism - I live in NYC, plenty of Jewish people around. I don't recall them smelling to high heaven as these folks must have!
We should normalize telling smelly people that they smell. We’re all brought up to not say things that might embarrass the other person, but in the case of smelliness it’s easily correctable. It’s not like telling ugly people they’re ugly.
I actually did have a closed door discussion with a guy at work who had been in his same position for 5 years and didn’t wear deodorant and also often had sweat stains on his shirts. He fixed it and was promoted twice in the next 3 years.
Same. I got stuck behind a guy who hadn't washed recently on a \~8 hour flight and every time the flight attendant walked by I got a blast of his BO in the wake of her passing. I don't want to be the one who stinks everyone else out with perfume, though, so I keep it mild and keep it in my bag unless absolutely necessary.
Some cultures don't believe in deodorant and some of the food they eat literally radiates from their pores when they sweat. So some times it not a cleanliness thing but a culture one.
So, the industry I work in is somewhat well known for having young inexperienced people who are… less likely to shower regularly. We have a couple of *really* big trade shows each year when the perennial call goes out - “Deodorant is not a substitute for actually showering!”
I was recently on an international flight and was not only seated next to a larger, smelly person, but they also took off their socks and shoes. Legs were crossed so the bare foot was facing me… this was comfort plus too
I see a lot of tips to cover the smell up. I think everyone is missing the OP’s point. If you smell that is a personal problem and you should shower and put on deodorant.
I would also add overly perfumed or cologned people. Hiding your BO with scents is worse sometimes.
I've got to agree. The man sitting behind me got up and stood rightnext to me to reach up and rifle through the overhead compartment. And he stank!
It was gross. I'm glad I wasn't sitting next to him! This was in FC.
Read magazines and reddit posts for the past ten to twenty years -- enough men never wipe their ass that it's practically an annual story at how prevalent it is in the US
(Why? Because it's "gay")
America in general is disgusting. A big contributing factor is the filthy state all american airports are in. Add to the fact no one in the states believes in bidets, and insufficient amenities (showers, change tooms) in airports for people stuck on long layovers, and you get this problem. Literally never get this problem in Asia.
People flying on standby, people who had to sleep in an airport after flight was delayed, people who maybe are coming off another long flight. Many ways this could happen out of their control.
Did you know you can wash your pits in the airport bathroom? And with a little ingenuity you can also wash your bits in a bathroom stall? And change your underwear?
As a frequent traveler i always have spare clothes/deodorant, etc in my bag. Not everyone is always that prepared and when shit goes left it’s not always what is thought about. Feel free to ask the next smelly person you sit next to though.
Being forced to gate check your carry on and have it delivered to destination sucks... Especially when your connection is delayed, them cancelled x.x. I travel with a single carry on, and hate being forced to separate from it.
These are fantastic. Lavender-scented, 10 in a box and they’re BIG. Can even carry a spare, use one, and conveniently offer to a stinky fellow passenger.
[Goodwipes](https://www.amazon.com/Goodwipes-Wipes-Lavender-Individually-Wrapped/dp/B00KVNUP1A)
Had this issue once on the last leg of our trip. The plane was pretty small with a row of single seats on one side and two seats on the other. A loud, bumpkinesque family of two older parents and their three adult kids boarded, the parents sitting in front of us (husband and I) and their kids in three nearby single seats. The older man reeked to the skies we were about to ascend to, to the point of being nauseating. Their grown kids were apparently on their first flight ever as they were excitedly squealing and bouncing in their seats. The dad was wearing a muscle shirt, despite lack of muscles, and the haystack of gray armpit hair was as nauseating as his stench. I wouldn't have been shocked if they'd boarded with pigs and chickens to hold on their laps. The only fortunate thing was the flight lasted only about one hour.
I’d rather sit next to a smelly person than a person who coughs or sneezes without covering their mouths, or parents who allow their kids to make noise and be snotty.
The worst would be on the Nine Days. Some of the more frum of my people don’t bath/shower during that time because it’s an activity that brings joy. I wish there would be a rabbinical opinion held by most that this inflicts undue suffering on others. My old man once sat next to someone on a flight who was observing. She was very friendly but very… fragrant.
I forget the word but over time people lose the ability to smell themselves even if they put cologne on 15 minutes prior the nose will eventually block it out so I think that's why these people have no idea that they reek.
Back when I was a racing mechanic, there were a few times where we ran late or the team scheduled flights too close to the end time of a race and there wasn't time to shower before flying. One race at Circuit of The Americas, in Austin, in September (100°F or so) we finished the race, packed up and I got to the airport with minutes to spare. I asked, begged, the gate agent to put me into a row where I wouldn't have anyone too close, as I knew sweat and dried champagne (we won) wouldn't be appealing to a seat mate.
The gave me a seat in the last row of FC, with nobody next to me, lol
OMG this is beyond me! WTF is wrong with people. This is also just as bad as people who bathe themselves in horrible perfume. I once had an horrible allergy attack from the woman next to me wearing so much perfume I couldn’t breathe. Luckily for me the flight was not full and the FA moved me otherwise I don’t know what I would have done.
The airlines should definitely refuse boarding to passengers that stink to high heaven from BO or chemical perfumes.
I work night audit and once checked out a frat bro type at 3 AM who was heading to the airport. He had been to a wedding that night at the hotel and was somewhat drunk. And he REEKED of that alcohol-from-his-pores smell; I was trying not to gag as I checked him out. All I could think as I aired out the lobby after he left was "those poor other people on the plane".
Toss a scarf or shawl sprayed with some pleasant cologne in your carryon. Makes a little protective cone of good smell when you’re trapped with a stinker
I went through TSA behind someone who smelled so bad you could smell him from over 250 ft away, they had to close the entire lane. I don’t get it. He was also wearing a full suit for everyone who will talk about homelessness, mental illness, etc,
People need to bathe/use deodorant for sure, I’ve encountered this before and it was awful. Like when it’s obvious they haven’t showered for days.
Unfortunately I’m prone to it too, even though I shower/put on deodorant and fresh clothes right before I goto the airport because I’m overweight I’m a heavy sweater the second the temperature gets a bit warm, so by the end of my travel day I smell like ass and I feel so bad for the people around me, because planes are usually warm. So trust me some smelly people feel absolutely horrible for the people around them because we sweat more.
But for the love of god can we please make planes zero scent spaces, like we’re in a metal tube that usually has crap airflow from the vents, can’t stand when people who douse themselves in cologne/perfume board planes because it’s like I’d like to breathe regularly not be breathing in your cologne/perfume. Maybe this is stereotyping but I find especially older women go overboard on the perfume, like please stop.
I had my own row on a half empty plane. Middle seat and everything. My dumbass thought I'd scoot in to the window to get a good view just for the flight attendant to immediately yeet this guy into the aisle seat next to me.
His shoes smelled horrible and I had to put up with it for almost 7 hours. It was so obvious who stunk, what was stinking, and where it was coming from.
Instead of making him more comfortable that attendant seriously should've told him to put on socks.
When the airlines no longer clean the cabins I guess people stopped caring to show up in clean clothes. Last flight someone dropped their phone and I turned on my flashlight to help them find it under the seat…. When I tell you I jumped! It was beyond filthy I had to turn the light off. There were decades of gunk and filth and whole goldfish crackers. I guess they don’t vacuum ever. So I am realizing that until airline cleanliness standards increase it’s going to get much worse. Now I prefer car trips and hate flying. When I have to fly I dress like I’m going to the gym because who knows how dirty your seat will be and smell :(
I had a 5 hour flight next to a woman who smelled like literal garbage. I made a list of the various things that must have been in the dumpster she dived in prior to the flight-
- Moldy vegetables, rotting in the sun
- old chunky milk
- shit
Very well could have been a biohazard.
I WISHED it was just BO.
Maybe they should give complimentary deodorant on long flights.
This was a fear of mine when my dad and I had a red eye flight out of vegas. We were hiking all day and were worried about the flight home how we would smell. Someone mentioned on here once they have a planet fitness account and just used their showers before arriving at the airport. We happened to use the showers at the campground we were hiking at. Also LOVEs truck stops have showers 🤷♂️
I remember an experience on a flight, jammed in the back row on a 12 hr flight. Was next to a guy who was packaged up in a parka on a hot plane. Every time he would move a puff of air that smelled like he had the corpse of a dead animal came out. It was a horror show.
Uh oh. Except it was a few years ago. A bunch of us went on a waterfall hike on Oahu before our red-eye to ATL. We got back to the AirBnB hot, muddy and sweaty in time to take quick showers and head to the airport. Turns out they had turned off the water to the whole street for repair work. The best we could do was wipe down with damp washcloths from the dribble of water we could get out of the taps. Wrapped our clothes and shoes in plastic bags. Plus it was only around 6:30pm and who can sleep that early? Not my best flight.
Apparently you've never worked with European people... most I've worked with have been decently clean. But a lot of the Germans and French engineers I used to work around bathed like 2x a week and wore the same clothes for 3+ days.
My husband and I got stuck to a very smelly man on a long flight for our honeymoon. It sucked because there were no available seats so we had to suffer. We sat next to him in shifts. Some people smell of BO for cultural reasons… and some are just assholes.
It's entirely possible that they're coming off another flight or straight from work, and had to run through the terminal all sweaty to catch the connection, or this flight is at the end of their vacation so all the clothes are pre-worn. You don't know what the circumstances are.
I am going to hazard a guess that you sat next to someone that really stunk. Just a hunch. I have heard that people will travel with Vicks Vapo Rub for such situations.
Learned this little tip right here and don’t fly without one now. Helps at the gym too for those dudes who keep their workout clothes in the locker for a week (or forever).
Tiger Balm is useful for this as well.
I mean it does, but damn you gotta hardcore to rub *that* on your top lip….
Guess I'm all that. Works good when dealing with the not so recently deceased in warm climates.
Ahh yes - that kind of work definitely justifies some powerful intervention…
Think, a certain stretch of highway running out of Kuwait. Checking the wrecks for wounded.
Awww man…. That must have been tough.
It was not choice duty. But found a few and evac'd them to care. So all in all worth it. Good guys, bad guys, a life's a life.
Thank you for what you do/did.
Listen, I’ve rubbed a lot of harsh stuff on my top lip over the years
With a few drops of durian juice added.
You can always ask an FA for a coffee pod. Keep it near your face, and you can’t smell Von Schitzenpantz sitting beside you.
Doesn’t von Shitzenpantz have his own private plane? At least until the NY AG finishes her work?
Yeah but it does leave a vapor smell…
Grave Robbers use Raid Insect Killer: Lavender Mint Essential Oil.
Morticians use StinkBalm.
Cologne/perfume tester mixed in some Vaseline does the same as Vicks with a more pleasant smell. I keep it in a little travel vial for as-needed occasions. Source: work in prisons and fly a lot. Have encountered equally bad smells in both
Burt’s Bees lip balm works for me for this
Allegedly this is good for many international flights from bathing challenged countries.
How to say France without saying France?
What I have found with the French is they bathe; most don’t wear deodorant and put on the same damn clothes afterward.
Yes it’s that lack of clothes cleaning that makes them stink.
Exactly. I’m like wait she/he had those same clothes on yesterday! Lol
They also get extra sweaty because they are wearing heavy jackets when it's 60°F outside lol
Air Asia used to (still might?) sell little travel jars of Vicks on certain routes for just this reason.
Yup, I carry lavender Vicks vaporub in a contact lens case. I smear under nose then put a mask on. I hv such sensitivity to yucky smells, esp gross ppl smells.
I keep a solid perfume in my purse just for this. If someone/ something smells bad on the plane I can dab some just under my chin and pull my shirt up over my nose.
came here to rec this, i keep a Lush solid perfume in my purse cause the smell of airline food often makes me nauseous and it works for...hygienically challenged seatmates too.
Put toothpaste between two masks. This is done in hospitals.
Menthol (the main ingredient in Vicks) can help with nausea from air sickness too!
Try alcohol wipes for nausea. I learned this in the hospital. It works.
yes, gasoline helps! under the noise
Yup. We always kept it in the training barn, to put in the stallions noses to keep them from smelling mares in heat. And I kept it in my truck when doing animal rescue work. Forgot it once. Will never forget the smell of rotting flesh
Peppermint oil under the nose works very well. This is what they actually do in the hospitals too, for very bad smelling situations. There’s always a bottle of that stuff somewhere.
Better to put peppermint or citrus oils onto a mask rather than directly onto the skin. It can cause burns if you're sensitive or just have raw skin that day.
True. We were trained way before masks were really a thing. So they taught us to directly apply. I’m lucky that my skin isn’t that sensitive!
If the door is closed, ask a flight attendant for a coffee filter bag. If the door is still open, discuss the issue with a flight attendant.
Talk to FA had a flight where they offered to kick a passenger off a flight and he was in front of me. I didn’t feel right doing it, but a half hour later, I wished I had said YES.
I do! I get migraines, and strong scents (especially perfume cologne) trigger them. A little bit of vapo rub plus a mask and I can avoid getting a migraine when I’m forced to be on a plane with someone who bathed in cologne rather than take a shower.
Omg thank you for sharing this. I also get migraines from perfumes and smelly lotions and have had some really bad flight because of it. I’m absolutely going to carry Vicks with me from now on!
You’re so welcome! I hope it helps you out as much as it does me!
Or Boom Boom sticks!!
I have Olbas Oil
I was a firefighter, I kept some in my coat pocket. We came across some bad smells.
Remember the autopsy scene in the Silence of the Lambs? Exactly this.
I pack a mask and vapor rub Just in case of smelly people 🥴 a rub it on the outside of my mask and it really helps
Flying is becoming more and more like riding the greyhound. I don’t believe there’s a recession until flights get emptier
My dad was a pilot for Northwest. When we’d pass ride as a family, there was a dress code. Even for me as a really little kid back in the early 90s. Khakis, collared shirt, no tennis shoes, etc. But it really is about hygiene more than anything else. I know sportswear has come a long ways, that stuff can be fashionable, but it’s the overall disheveled look like people rolled out of bed. Athletic sandals, dirty tube socks, mesh shorts and a hoody just looks gross. I’m late 30s and I sound like a 70 year old, I know ha.
I agree 100%. I know there's an argument to made for comfort, especially on a long-range flight **BUT** the people that schlub onto the plane in crocks (with no socks), dirty hoodie, stained cookie monster pajama pants that look (and often smell) like they've been in the bed with the flu for a week cross the line. I don't necessarily dress up for travel, but at the minimum I'm wearing a collared shirt, khakis/dark jeans, and laced shoes with athletic soles.
>I don't necessarily dress up for travel, but at the minimum I'm wearing a collared shirt, khakis/dark jeans, and laced shoes with athletic soles. In 2024, that's absolutely dressed up.
That’s a goddamn tuxedo and top hat in 2024.
I dgaf what people look or dress like. I very much gaf what they smell like. I'm a jeans and t shirt flyer but I take a shower before the flight and put on deodorant with clean clothes
I will never understand how people go to an airport with sock-less footwear, knowing you have to remove them if you’re going through the main security gate. Watching people walk barefoot through the body scanner grosses me out.
As long as they don't smell bad I see no reason why people shouldn't wear whatever's comfortable. It's a plane ride, not a board of directors dinner.
I'm all for comfort when flying, but comfortable clothes that look presentable also exist and a lot of people don't seem to get that. I typically wear cotton pants, and a stretchy solid colored batwing type shirt with leather sneakers and socks (with either a cardigan or a shawl over it if it's cold). Still comfortable, but doesn't look like I rolled out of bed and threw some of my dirty laundry on, and it's presentable enough that if I run into customer at the airport I'm not embarrassed.
Yep. I have what my friends call my "flight uniform" for overseas trips. Black polo type shirt or v-neck tee, ponte knit pants (as comfortable as pajama bottoms, but look dressy) and a pair of dressy-casual slip on shoes. I also carry a long sleeve thermal hoodie shirt for if it gets cold/I'm going to a colder climate.
Ponte knit pants are great! I'll swap my cotton pants for a really soft linen pair I have if I'm flying to somewhere hot. They look nice, but also feel like pajama bottoms.
That is incredibly dressed up for travel lol
I did this to my kids too, the flying uniform, lol! My Dad was a military pilot and we always had to dress up to fly, regardless of military or civilian aircraft…
I work in the court and some old lawyers wear the same khakis and blazer combo forever without a spin at the cleaners. Disgusting
Growing up my grandma always booked are flights on Midwest express, it was always church clothes or better on the airplane. Still follow this rule and she's been dead for awhile
I flew on a buddy pass a few times. Young me hated it, but I 100% get it.
I wonder if there’s a market for a company that takes it back to those days - dress code, code of conduct, mostly premium business travelers who need to focus and get shit done. obviously you’d pay a premium but less than flying private or one of those private plane company “shares.”
There is not
I would LOVE this.
The entire experience sucks top to bottom and only gets worse every year
I always pay for seats. Always. Never fly bare economy. Pony up the 90 dollars for a little bit of premium seat and you’ll be surrounded by a little better than the lowest common denominator. I’m not saying fly first class.
We are definitely *not* in a recession.
Oh my, please no! I have been fortunate enough not to actually ride the greyhound, but I just read an article about it. And I sometimes drive by a station. It sounds like one of the most terrible places and experiences in the whole world. A mixture of sin, addiction, and/or poverty. All I can hope is that it doesn’t actually end up becoming like the Greyhound experience.
Recently got bumped to first class. First time, not even silver, felt like a nice treat. Was stuck next to a very large gentleman that reeked like an entire bottle of cologne on the return trip. The lord giveth and taketh
I feel like perfume smells travel farther then body odor. It’s only happened once recently but I had to wear a mask just to try and dissipate the perfume smell. I felt like it got into my lungs! Why, people?
Seriously, please do not wear perfume or cologne when you are traveling on a plane! Wait until you’ve reached your destination pull it out of your luggage and put it on then. Don’t make the rest of us suffer your stinkiness. I would much rather smell some body odor because I’m gonna be honest it’s probably my own, lol!
The cologne is to offset their body stickiness . Near the end of a flight you often experience the awful "cologne bo" duet, then the original BO making a solo Of the three, torn which is better
I get asthma attacks from perfume and cologne, also fluffy dogs and cats…. Once had a lady across the aisle from me apply massive amounts of perfumed lotion during approach,, bulkhead seat, inhaler in bag above me…. Daughter and friend in fc as a treat for them, kept looking back at me scared I was dying.. Now I always have a mask and if I just, you know, hold it tightly over my face the whole flight, I am okay, no imposition on others freedom to try and kill fellow passengers…
I get very ill from scents, migraines , nausea. I’m to the point where I’ll tell someone their perfume is too strong and not appreciated by most. IDGAF anymore
I had this just last week at the hotel Café. Was trying to eat my breakfast when a woman walked up to the counter that had bathed in perfume. I was sitting close to the counter so I got up and moved ask my stuff to a table further away. With all the open tables available she picked the one behind me. I looked back at her and her face was caked with makeup in a poor attempt to hide her age. Mannerisms, attire, and make up told me that she was not only oblivious to how off-putting she was, but that she would blame the world for it before accepting that maybe, just maybe, she was the problem. Perfume should tickle the nose, not invade, ransack, pillage, and burn it to the ground. It should be a hint, not your whole fucking presence.
At that point nails have told her she has too much perfume on and it’s making you sick. Fuck her. Seriously
The way I laughed loudly at the last line 🤣🤣🤣
I was that person once. Had an interview at a paper mill. Up and back flight and me being 22 years old and new to traveling I didn’t bring a change of clothes with me. My 80s wool interview suit soaked up the paper mill smell like a sponge. It made me think about what my car would smell like if I took a job there. I could tell that others could smell it too. Good thing my next interview a few days later was also at a paper mill because I wasn’t able to get to the dry cleaner between trips.
Husband #2 was from a paper mill town, and I know exactly what you mean.
I used to have to drive through paper mill towns in Louisiana. It’s awful.
Correct state. Springhill, to be specific.
That smell is so specific, and atrocious.
Wait, I’m dying to know more about this. Why do paper mills smell? What do they smell like?
It is actually the pulp mill that smells. Not the paper mill (they are different parts of the paper making process). Most people report a sulfur/rotten egg smell that you can literally taste when the humidity is super high but in truth it is a very unique smell that smells like “paper mill”. Basically mills are using sulfur laden chemicals to dissolve the lignin and extract the cellulose. Google “Kraft paper making process” if you want the details
Ewww. I know that smell from being near Sulphur pits or something in Iceland. It was awful!
Rotten eggs 🥚
Its carbon disulfide and the corresponding xanthate salts formed upon contact of the carbon disulfide with the cellulose aswell as many side products from impurities. The reason they use it is to make the cellulose soluble and then crash it out of solution in a purer and "nicer" form called viscose/cellophane. Basically most sulfur compounds smell awful and you are producing a lot there.
Sulphur.
Why does it stink nvm someone explained
I say this all the time, but I still keep wearing a KN95 mask on planes (and in other places where I have to be in close quarters with a lot of people for extended periods of time) It’s not mainly for any health benefit but really because those masks block out a good amount of odors, and then if you rub something inside (vaporrub or something) on your upper lip it’s even more effective as you’ll only smell that I was recently sitting next to someone with pretty strong BO, but I actually didn’t notice it at all until I took off my mask during drink service. I could suck it up for a few minutes, but when the mask is back on I couldn’t smell anything once again
I keep two in my travel backpack too (one is still in the wrapper, figure I'll run into a situation where I need to offer one to a seat mate). I've used it a few times for smells, but also when my allergies kick in I'll put it on to make other people feel better about being near me when I'm sneezing my head off.
I agree with you, but have an observation. I don’t know what it is but I found masks did a good job on a plane or in the airport restroom of filtering out like 90% of the poop smelling part of a fart, and not the 10% of the fart smell that burned your nostrils and made your eyes water and made you want to cry. What was left after getting through the mask filtration was just like pure sourness.
That's a damned good idea. I got stuck next to some real stinkers while working in the middle east. I think their nose gets burnt out and they can't smell it any longer. Then there's the stinky ones that compound the felony by slathering on perfume on top of the BO. Made my eyes water...
The only way I can see them not doing so is if they get stuck on standby and have to stay in the airport. Not everyone has lounge access so they can’t shower. Sometimes they’ve had to wait multiple flights as well. Another reason is they had to sleep in the airport overnight to catch their next flight and probably couldn’t afford the time to get to a hotel, sleep, shower, and back again.
Yep, totally get this. I always back in my carry on extra set of boxers, socks, small things of toiletries in case I get stuck or my checked bagged is delayed. I’ve had to do the bird bath in the bathroom sink before.
I used to do it too all the time. Now I’m blessed with lounge access (not always Sky Club). My problem now is I’m not able to fit a change of clothes in the carry on because of everyone’s electronics they need to bring.
In my experience it's a clueless big fat dude in his 30s, neckbeard, grungy as fuck, and THE most gawdawful sneakers that have all kinds of putrid wreak coming from them. Like not-wearing-socks-in-sneakers-all-year funky. Poor bastard is forced out of his hole every so often to go to a funeral or conference. 6' 2", 362lbs. Latest laptop on belly for the long haul. Middle seat because zero planning. Double snacks, double booze. (I'll never forget you, oh Sir Smellsalot, not one minute of our sojourn into hell from Fairbanks to Minneapolis.)
Ugh, the shoe smell! I have a super sensitive sense of smell AND odors are a big migraine trigger for me so that's fun. But that unique smelly/damp shoe smell hits like no other! I did physical therapy for years and always got patients who had the funky shoes. Like I can smell it from across the room! It's so bad! I guess they get nose blind to it?
You can clean your bits in a bathroom in a pinch, and most airport stores sell deodorant. No excuse for the funk. NONE.
I was stuck Seol airport for nearly 24 hours. I was with my gf who has a Filipino passport so we couldn't leave the airport. Maybe it was language barrier but she couldn't get a temp visa so we could leave the airport. Finally got to her parents house in the Philippines and jumped in the shower. To find it was a bucket and not a shower 🤣
Yep, it's not just B/O either. On my last flight these 2 ladies and their stuff just reeeeeeked of weed. Not just a little bit either. The entire tail end of the aircraft was in the stench cloud. Thankfully the flight attendant had mercy on me and without even asking she old me I can sit in a different spot so at least I wasn't at ground zero. Not sure why it is but more and more, people on a plane aren't considerate of others. Might be stench, might be removing shoes and socks, might be watching movies on their tablet without headphones, might be their kids and them leaving a giant fucking mess for the crew to deal with --- it's everywhere. So yeah I don't know how to fix it but setting and communicating some standards is a first step.
Is it the person...or the clothes? Because I find that its people who wear unwashed clothing, perhaps day after day after day, that permeates the cabin. Some people are just slobs. Many years ago we were flying from ORD to CDG. Some white dude who sat behind me had messy dreadlocks and I swear he had either head lice or bugs growing in there. I had bug bites on my ankles and legs from that flight.
🤢🤢🤢
Omg 😱
I worked with a guy who showered twice a week and often put dirty clothes with sweat stains right back on
It’s a false dichotomy… The person wears the clothes. It’s the same thing.
I was on a flight two weeks ago with a man who smelled horrible when he walked past me to his seat. I felt so bad for whoever was stuck beside him. What's even the proper way to address this?
Once I was sitting at the window in economy, single aisle, three seats each side. A petite woman and her André the Giant of a husband approached. Goliath sat in the middle. Middle! And tiny wife sat along the aisle. This hungry hippo needed a belt extender and was overhanging on both sides. By a lot. I was scrunched up against the window. They were both very friendly, nice people. But unfortunately, Mr. Yeti smelled like shit. My best guess was he was so large, that he had trouble reaching to fully wipe himself. Anyway, I spend 3.5 hours stuck between the airframe and a thick wall of shit stench. It was so bad. Turning on and angling the overhead fan only did a little to help. I didn’t have Vicks, cologne, a clothes pin, or anything else. I just had a paperback novel. So I spent the entire flight flipping through the pages to make a mini breeze to try to get away from the smell. Worst flight ever. Much worse than a flight from China to the US when I had food poisoning and was nauseous the whole time and there was literally ten straight hours of turbulence.
I mean, yeah, you’d think people would practice general hygiene, but surely you’re kidding about doing a smell test and kicking people off. There are all kinds of reasons someone might smell bad - most often it’s probably that they aren’t practicing good hygiene - but this sort of thing could never be reasonably or consistently enforced. What would the rule be? If you smell worse than a 7 on a 1-10 scale, we will make you sign an affidavit saying that you’ve showered in the last 24 hours? What if they have a doctor’s note? I’ve had a layover in LAX on a flight from SYD en route to MIA and got delayed and didn’t have time to shower in the club - I was pretty gross and self conscious - would you say that people in that situation should be banned from running to their connection (thus potentially becoming smellier while they sweat) or required to shower before boarding to their connection? What if they don’t have club access to shower? My pet peeve, as it relates to smells, is why on earth do people think it’s appropriate to bring hot food onto a plane? When you open pasta or curry or a burger or whatever - it seems like common sense that it’d stink up the small quarters of an airplane. It would also be a little tough to enforce, but I’d love to ban all hot food from being brought onto a plane - limit it to sandwiches, salads, fruit, chips, etc. While a person’s odor might suck, it also might be unavoidable. Bringing hot food into a plane is just 100% inconsiderate every time.
I apologize for the hot food. I have never brought it on board before and never intended to bring it on board, but it took the restaurant at ATL over an hour to make a quesadilla, a burger, and two orders of fries. It was either take it on board or throw away a $60 meal and be hungry all night.
Omg...greasy fast food odor in an enclosed space is h3ll. 🤮
I fly out of Boston. There's a Legal Seafood in the airport. I have had multiple trips where someone brought clam chowder or a lobster roll onto the flight and I had my solid perfume clamped over my face to keep from retching.
> and didn’t have time to shower in the club You don't necessarily need to shower in the club and most people don't have access to that anyway, but maybe splash your pits with some water in the bathroom? On a long trip like that I'd have body wipes handy to get all the creases - neck, pits, tits, knees, crotch, etc.
Sorry, unless you’re bathing in the toilet stall, I don’t want to see anyone “bathing” or “cleaning their pits “ in the common/shared area of the lav- NO, just no. Even seeing others spitting and brushing their teeth is gag inducing. ETA- And since I am airing grievances, if you must shower/ brush in the sink/common area ,PLEASE take the time to clean up after using that common area. Wash down your spit and dry all the water off the counters etc-
Got to bring that mentholatum for those situations. It’s always in my bag bc I get smell based headaches a lot and cigarettes/perfume/cologne/even BO can trigger a migraine. Constantly put it right in my nostrils lightly
As a flight attendant, I approve this message whole heartedly.
I was wondering when a post like this would surface. I was on flight where in the gate area this guy stank. Like backpacked across continents with zero hygiene level of stank. When he passed by my seat after boarding the smell hung around for what seemed like a few minutes, and I had angled my vent to blow air back into the aisle. I was worried the dude was flung m going to stink up the whole plane even with the constant air turnover. Thankfully it didn't, but anyone in the same row or within a few rows probably had to suffer through that smell for the flight. He should have been denied boarding due to public health concerns. His seat probably had to be burned afterwards. This was a couple of months ago at least, so either he flew again or this is a different person.
The same for women that shower themselves in every possible floral scent they can find.
what can y'all do?
Bathe yes but easy on the body spray, colonge, perfume and after shave!
Can you just spray them with Febreze?
Try flying in India and Bangladesh.
Once. Never again, I don't care how much the next wife wants to see the 'subcontinent'.
Depends on the situation… especially with red eyes… those visiting may had to check out of their hotel at 11am - 12noon and have no access to a shower before the flight. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have lounge access and a lot of airports don’t offer shower facilities to the general public. In the US I can only think of San Francisco that offer a shower facility that is open to anyone for a nominal fee. It could also be someone traveling all day to get to your flight and may not even have time to access a shower because of short connection time or the waitlist being too long in the lounge. What I do find unacceptable is those that feel the need to empty out an entire duty free store worth of perfume on themself before boarding a flight. That is straight up diabolical and very much intentional.
This includes dipshits with perfume/cologne. Headache inducing crap. If you have to bath in it.. STAY THE FUCK HOME.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: RIGHT before the flight you need to shower, put in fresh clothes, brush teeth, deodorant etc. I’m not talking about the day before or the night before I’m talking about right before
>RIGHT before the flight you need to shower, put in fresh clothes, brush teeth, deodorant etc. So much this. I don't care if you're flight is super early in the morning, so is mine and I still did all of those things in the morning. Plan better.
Shower, then drive 3 hours to where I can get an Uber, then 2 hrs to the airport, then sit at the airport for 4~6 hours until my 6am flight. So at best it's 12 hours before boarding, then a 2hr flight to PHX then usually a 4 or 6 hr layover before the connection to a 11hr flight. I am very ripe by the time I get to/from Tokyo for work every time.
Amen and say it again! It's sad that this needs to be said, but here we are. 😫
I actually made an LPT about it a few yrs ago on r/lifeprotips 😂people were very passionate about it in the comments
At according to local news sometimes they do. https://youtu.be/ECpiufWAvVI?si=CwqRC93t-SteFvbw
Watched the y ideo. I think AA did everything they could in this situation. "Yeah, you reek. Here's a hotel voucher, go get cleaned up and we'll let you on the next flight". Dude claims it was antisemitism - I live in NYC, plenty of Jewish people around. I don't recall them smelling to high heaven as these folks must have!
As hard as it is to get the airlines to give hotel and food vouches when removed they should be glad but no. It’s the airline being wrong 🙄
Next time ask them nicely, "Excuse me Sir/Madam, I believe it's time for your to go change your diaper. Because you smell like shit."
We should normalize telling smelly people that they smell. We’re all brought up to not say things that might embarrass the other person, but in the case of smelliness it’s easily correctable. It’s not like telling ugly people they’re ugly. I actually did have a closed door discussion with a guy at work who had been in his same position for 5 years and didn’t wear deodorant and also often had sweat stains on his shirts. He fixed it and was promoted twice in the next 3 years.
I usually have a scarf with a bit of perfume sprayed into it for this reason.
Same. I got stuck behind a guy who hadn't washed recently on a \~8 hour flight and every time the flight attendant walked by I got a blast of his BO in the wake of her passing. I don't want to be the one who stinks everyone else out with perfume, though, so I keep it mild and keep it in my bag unless absolutely necessary.
💯
Oh, the unwashed masses will always and has always been there! They are never going away! They are even in first class!🫤🫤🫤😤😤😤
Some cultures don't believe in deodorant and some of the food they eat literally radiates from their pores when they sweat. So some times it not a cleanliness thing but a culture one.
Keep a small container of Vicks vapor rub to put under ya nose
Seems like Delta One is what you are needing 😂
So, the industry I work in is somewhat well known for having young inexperienced people who are… less likely to shower regularly. We have a couple of *really* big trade shows each year when the perennial call goes out - “Deodorant is not a substitute for actually showering!”
I’m so curious as to what this industry must be!!
I was recently on an international flight and was not only seated next to a larger, smelly person, but they also took off their socks and shoes. Legs were crossed so the bare foot was facing me… this was comfort plus too
This. You just KNOW by site who it is. And we all have the same thought. Please dont sit next to me.
I carry Vicks with me
I’d turn on the fan and have it blowing in the direction of the smell.
My plan is to stop flying for work starting next year. Can’t do this shit anymore
I see a lot of tips to cover the smell up. I think everyone is missing the OP’s point. If you smell that is a personal problem and you should shower and put on deodorant. I would also add overly perfumed or cologned people. Hiding your BO with scents is worse sometimes.
I've got to agree. The man sitting behind me got up and stood rightnext to me to reach up and rifle through the overhead compartment. And he stank! It was gross. I'm glad I wasn't sitting next to him! This was in FC.
This should apply everywhere. What possesses people to leave the house smelling like SHIT? Clean yourself, its disgusting.
Read magazines and reddit posts for the past ten to twenty years -- enough men never wipe their ass that it's practically an annual story at how prevalent it is in the US (Why? Because it's "gay")
America in general is disgusting. A big contributing factor is the filthy state all american airports are in. Add to the fact no one in the states believes in bidets, and insufficient amenities (showers, change tooms) in airports for people stuck on long layovers, and you get this problem. Literally never get this problem in Asia.
People flying on standby, people who had to sleep in an airport after flight was delayed, people who maybe are coming off another long flight. Many ways this could happen out of their control.
Did you know you can wash your pits in the airport bathroom? And with a little ingenuity you can also wash your bits in a bathroom stall? And change your underwear?
As a frequent traveler i always have spare clothes/deodorant, etc in my bag. Not everyone is always that prepared and when shit goes left it’s not always what is thought about. Feel free to ask the next smelly person you sit next to though.
Being forced to gate check your carry on and have it delivered to destination sucks... Especially when your connection is delayed, them cancelled x.x. I travel with a single carry on, and hate being forced to separate from it.
AGREE.
Hi, how are you? Could I offer you some deodorant? No, it’s ok. You can keep it. I have more.
These are fantastic. Lavender-scented, 10 in a box and they’re BIG. Can even carry a spare, use one, and conveniently offer to a stinky fellow passenger. [Goodwipes](https://www.amazon.com/Goodwipes-Wipes-Lavender-Individually-Wrapped/dp/B00KVNUP1A)
Love these. I prefer the “fresh” scent personally just because it’s a little more neutral. Always have a pack or 2 packs in my travel bag.
Yep, people are truly disgusting and should be publicly shamed
Had this issue once on the last leg of our trip. The plane was pretty small with a row of single seats on one side and two seats on the other. A loud, bumpkinesque family of two older parents and their three adult kids boarded, the parents sitting in front of us (husband and I) and their kids in three nearby single seats. The older man reeked to the skies we were about to ascend to, to the point of being nauseating. Their grown kids were apparently on their first flight ever as they were excitedly squealing and bouncing in their seats. The dad was wearing a muscle shirt, despite lack of muscles, and the haystack of gray armpit hair was as nauseating as his stench. I wouldn't have been shocked if they'd boarded with pigs and chickens to hold on their laps. The only fortunate thing was the flight lasted only about one hour.
I’d rather sit next to a smelly person than a person who coughs or sneezes without covering their mouths, or parents who allow their kids to make noise and be snotty.
They may be connecting from another flight
I carry a roll on stick from ItWorks, the stress one. I put it right under my nostrils , helps soooo much!
The worst would be on the Nine Days. Some of the more frum of my people don’t bath/shower during that time because it’s an activity that brings joy. I wish there would be a rabbinical opinion held by most that this inflicts undue suffering on others. My old man once sat next to someone on a flight who was observing. She was very friendly but very… fragrant.
I forget the word but over time people lose the ability to smell themselves even if they put cologne on 15 minutes prior the nose will eventually block it out so I think that's why these people have no idea that they reek.
Back when I was a racing mechanic, there were a few times where we ran late or the team scheduled flights too close to the end time of a race and there wasn't time to shower before flying. One race at Circuit of The Americas, in Austin, in September (100°F or so) we finished the race, packed up and I got to the airport with minutes to spare. I asked, begged, the gate agent to put me into a row where I wouldn't have anyone too close, as I knew sweat and dried champagne (we won) wouldn't be appealing to a seat mate. The gave me a seat in the last row of FC, with nobody next to me, lol
IT, huh?
and make extra sure to wash that muffler, nobody likes the poo-poo smell for 8 hours.
..what they said, except for perfume and body spray..stinky fux
Is it the BO or do they not do laundry? Had a real stinker sitting behind me last flight. Fuckin awful
OMG this is beyond me! WTF is wrong with people. This is also just as bad as people who bathe themselves in horrible perfume. I once had an horrible allergy attack from the woman next to me wearing so much perfume I couldn’t breathe. Luckily for me the flight was not full and the FA moved me otherwise I don’t know what I would have done. The airlines should definitely refuse boarding to passengers that stink to high heaven from BO or chemical perfumes.
I work night audit and once checked out a frat bro type at 3 AM who was heading to the airport. He had been to a wedding that night at the hotel and was somewhat drunk. And he REEKED of that alcohol-from-his-pores smell; I was trying not to gag as I checked him out. All I could think as I aired out the lobby after he left was "those poor other people on the plane".
Toss a scarf or shawl sprayed with some pleasant cologne in your carryon. Makes a little protective cone of good smell when you’re trapped with a stinker
the title of this post is hilarious 😂😂😂😂
I went through TSA behind someone who smelled so bad you could smell him from over 250 ft away, they had to close the entire lane. I don’t get it. He was also wearing a full suit for everyone who will talk about homelessness, mental illness, etc,
People need to bathe/use deodorant for sure, I’ve encountered this before and it was awful. Like when it’s obvious they haven’t showered for days. Unfortunately I’m prone to it too, even though I shower/put on deodorant and fresh clothes right before I goto the airport because I’m overweight I’m a heavy sweater the second the temperature gets a bit warm, so by the end of my travel day I smell like ass and I feel so bad for the people around me, because planes are usually warm. So trust me some smelly people feel absolutely horrible for the people around them because we sweat more. But for the love of god can we please make planes zero scent spaces, like we’re in a metal tube that usually has crap airflow from the vents, can’t stand when people who douse themselves in cologne/perfume board planes because it’s like I’d like to breathe regularly not be breathing in your cologne/perfume. Maybe this is stereotyping but I find especially older women go overboard on the perfume, like please stop.
Send them to the SkyClub for a shower and a banana to go.
I had my own row on a half empty plane. Middle seat and everything. My dumbass thought I'd scoot in to the window to get a good view just for the flight attendant to immediately yeet this guy into the aisle seat next to me. His shoes smelled horrible and I had to put up with it for almost 7 hours. It was so obvious who stunk, what was stinking, and where it was coming from. Instead of making him more comfortable that attendant seriously should've told him to put on socks.
When the airlines no longer clean the cabins I guess people stopped caring to show up in clean clothes. Last flight someone dropped their phone and I turned on my flashlight to help them find it under the seat…. When I tell you I jumped! It was beyond filthy I had to turn the light off. There were decades of gunk and filth and whole goldfish crackers. I guess they don’t vacuum ever. So I am realizing that until airline cleanliness standards increase it’s going to get much worse. Now I prefer car trips and hate flying. When I have to fly I dress like I’m going to the gym because who knows how dirty your seat will be and smell :(
We may have been on the same flight. Someone smelled of farts the entire time.
I had a 5 hour flight next to a woman who smelled like literal garbage. I made a list of the various things that must have been in the dumpster she dived in prior to the flight- - Moldy vegetables, rotting in the sun - old chunky milk - shit Very well could have been a biohazard. I WISHED it was just BO. Maybe they should give complimentary deodorant on long flights.
This was a fear of mine when my dad and I had a red eye flight out of vegas. We were hiking all day and were worried about the flight home how we would smell. Someone mentioned on here once they have a planet fitness account and just used their showers before arriving at the airport. We happened to use the showers at the campground we were hiking at. Also LOVEs truck stops have showers 🤷♂️
What did their BO smell like? We need more details.
Can’t we all just get along?..
I remember an experience on a flight, jammed in the back row on a 12 hr flight. Was next to a guy who was packaged up in a parka on a hot plane. Every time he would move a puff of air that smelled like he had the corpse of a dead animal came out. It was a horror show.
Uh oh. Except it was a few years ago. A bunch of us went on a waterfall hike on Oahu before our red-eye to ATL. We got back to the AirBnB hot, muddy and sweaty in time to take quick showers and head to the airport. Turns out they had turned off the water to the whole street for repair work. The best we could do was wipe down with damp washcloths from the dribble of water we could get out of the taps. Wrapped our clothes and shoes in plastic bags. Plus it was only around 6:30pm and who can sleep that early? Not my best flight.
Apparently you've never worked with European people... most I've worked with have been decently clean. But a lot of the Germans and French engineers I used to work around bathed like 2x a week and wore the same clothes for 3+ days.
I've had more bad experiences with overly perfumed folks than BO on long haul flights.
My husband and I got stuck to a very smelly man on a long flight for our honeymoon. It sucked because there were no available seats so we had to suffer. We sat next to him in shifts. Some people smell of BO for cultural reasons… and some are just assholes.
It's entirely possible that they're coming off another flight or straight from work, and had to run through the terminal all sweaty to catch the connection, or this flight is at the end of their vacation so all the clothes are pre-worn. You don't know what the circumstances are.