I knew I wasn’t feeling my best. Fever, chills, dry cough—it all hit me just before my flight. But canceling the trip wasn’t an option; the tickets were booked, the hotel was paid for, and the meetings were scheduled. I had no choice but to push through and get on the plane.
I quietly settled into my seat by the window, doing my best not to disturb anyone. I pulled out my water bottle, placed some tissues within reach, and prepared myself for a long, uncomfortable flight.
But barely ten minutes into the flight, an angry voice pierced the calm:
— “This is ridiculous! He’s coughing non-stop! I shouldn’t have to deal with this!”
A woman in her fifties, seated across the aisle, turned to face me, clearly furious:
— “Are you contagious? Why did you even get on this flight?!”
I tried to stay calm:
— “I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep it quiet. I’ll take some medicine. You can wear headphones if it bothers you…”
— “I’m not putting on anything! This is my vacation, and you’re ruining it!” she shouted, attracting the attention of everyone around us.
A minute later, she hit the call button.
A young flight attendant approached, her smile strained:
— “Good afternoon, is there an issue?”
The woman almost leapt out of her seat:
— “He’s coughing! He’s sick! You need to do something about it! I paid for my ticket, by the way!”
The flight attendant nodded politely and walked away. A few minutes later, she returned with a much more serious expression. Clearly, she had spoken with the captain. That’s when the woman started regretting her earlier actions. 😲 Continue reading in the first comment below 👇👇
— “Since we cannot compromise flight safety and the passenger isn’t feeling well, we would like to resolve this in the most comfortable way for everyone… You can simply change seats.”
The woman’s face instantly turned red, and she shouted:
— “I’m not moving because of him! I paid for this seat!”
The flight attendant looked at me and calmly said:
— “We can move you if you’re okay with it. There’s a free seat available…”
— “Of course, move me! I don’t want to deal with this for the whole flight!” the woman beamed with satisfaction.
I nodded:
— “Alright. If it helps, I don’t mind.”
— “Perfect,” the flight attendant said. “The only free seat is in business class. There, you can relax. Dinner and drinks will be served. Please follow me.”
I stood up, and for a moment, the entire cabin fell silent.
As I walked past the woman, I caught a glimpse of her face—frozen in shock, then contorted with anger and jealousy. She muttered something, but no one was listening anymore.
I settled into the spacious, comfortable seat, received a blanket, enjoyed hot tea with honey, and later had a delicious dinner. A few hours of peace and comfort awaited me.
