I’ve always heard amazing stories from friends and family of great in-flight conversation with the stranger seated next to them. I’m not sure which of the two is true
in my case, but either the people I sit next to are seriously boring or I’m boring. One time I sat next to a woman who
had just eaten what must have been last night’s take-out kimchi from the local Korean restaurant and her breath was
just unbearable. Was she unaware of the tight spaces between us? I think so. On top of that I was left to sleep facing
the window with the blanket draped over my face. Ugh!
But this is nothing compared to the story the passenger seated in 7B had to tell after their flight on
American West this past Wednesday. USA
Today spills the details on this one and I couldn’t resist. Ryan J. Marchione the gentleman seated next
to the person in 7B, apparently woke abruptly from his sleep, turned to the passenger in 7B… raised a clenched fist to
his shoulder as if he was going to strike the passenger in 7B, the suddenly turned and struck the exterior
window. (As noted in the affidavit by FBI Agent Daniel S. Wierzbicki.) Can you imagine the look on
everyone’s face? His punch was said to have shattered the plastic shield covering the glass window. Yowzers!! Marchione
was arrested after the flight landed at Tampa International Airport and could face 20 years in federal prison.
A story like that leads me to ponder. What would you do if the person seated next to you suffers from halitosis or
even worse, freaks out and decides to knock-out the airplane window? Should these things be covered in the in-flight
safety instructions?