Wherein trof chickens out. I deplaned at the departure gate.

[trof]

We boarded the USAIR CRJ-900 in Pensacola this morning.
Immediately i thought 'damn this bird is cramped.'

I had to bend over from my waist to get into the window seat. My back was touching the overhead and my chest was against the top of the seat backs in the row ahead.
As I sat and looked up at the overhead I was too close to bring the seat belt sign into focus.
With my glasses on.


To my right there was no window.
I looked around the plane.
All the windows were opposite the seat backs.
The shade was down for the window at the seat back in front of me.
I could see out the very small window opposite my seat back by turning my head 110 degrees to the right.
I began to feel uneasy.
The aisle was so narrow that two people couldn't pass each other.
One way traffic?
What if we have to evacuate this sucker?

I'm mildly claustrophobic.
And I began to feel very uncomfortable.
I felt I was in a tightly confined space and it sure wasn't gonna get any better once the door closed.
Mix t. Sensed my concern.
"You OK?"
"No, I'm not."
"You need to make a decision now."
"Yeah....I know...I can't do this."

So we deplaned.
Better that than a freak out at 10,000'.

FYI: I'm a retired airline pilot with over 35 years of experience.
Never had anything like this happen to me on an airplane before.

Has anyone else?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Nope, my dear trof, I've never had that happen.

And it sounds bloody awful.

I think you did the best thing by getting out of there.

[trof]

2. So does USAIR.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. LOL

[Blue_Tires]

4. At 6'2 and 245lb, I've grown to loathe the CRJs with a passion

Mercifully I've never had to be in them longer than ORF or PHF to IAD...

I'm also a window-watcher and the "dark" corners at the tail end of a CRJ/MD-80 weren't all that fun for me, either...On jets with odd or off-kilter seating configs that don't line up with the windows, I always lean forward as far as I can (sometimes resting the crown of my head on the seat in front of me and try to get the best view from the next forward window...

Uncomfortable and claustrophobic doesn't begin to describe a packed-to-the-gills 737 going ATL-PHX (thank you, Southwest)...Sick babies, loud kids, people not wearing deodorant, and I'm guessing the air filters were long overdue for a change, because that air was rancid...I never wanted to open a window or door so much in my life (yes, I know it wouldn't have been possible, and if it were, unspeakable disaster would result)

[trof]

5. We're about the same size.

Steerage is torture.

[Blue_Tires]

8. It didn't use to be that bad

of course the economics of air travel have changed a lot of things...

Long gone are the days when there were plenty of empty seats to move to if you wanted...As a kid I'd find a row of three and stretch out, back when I was still short enough...

The worst part of an uncomfortable flight is there's no way to simply get off anymore once the captain parks at the gate and the door is opened, since there's a mad dash of two-way(!) traffic as people rush for their overhead bin stuff...If you're one of the last people to board a flight, it doesn't matter if your seat is 5A, you're going to be putting your stuff somewhere around row 25...

And sometimes flights just give you bad vibes before takeoff...There was this urban legend that Bear Bryant in the offseason was uneasy about boarding a flight in horrible weather so he cashed in his ticket and went back to his home or hotel...Supposedly several other people did the same, since if Bear Bryant wasn't going to fly in that weather, they sure as hell weren't...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. I've ridden in the old CRJ 200.

It was cramped like that; you had to crane your neck down to see out the window. Didn't care much for it; fortunately it was a fairly short flight. I know a couple of pilots who fly the 900 and they like it fairly well, but they are up front where it's more comfortable.

[Kali]

7. I swear to god

I just flew back from Germany and the short second leg - Dallas to Tucson - was fucking torture. You have a an excellent point about the aisle space. Good luck escaping with a crush of panicking people, that I never thought of. (of course I tend to be fatalistic about a situation in a plane)

Add to my issues was two damaged knees and large body size (hey I was so excited I didn't need a belt extender so there is that)

Stuffing people in rows of 5 across or three on a side is insane.

I doubt you were ever that crowded up front, plus you were in control of the whole deal and had "stuff" to do. Sitting like a sardine is a whole other deal, gives your mind more time to see problems that affect your body. You probably would have been fine once under way, but I don't blame you - I should have rented a car in Dallas and drove home.

[trof]

11. Part of it is no longer being in control.

I was an airline pilot for many years. I knew the training our pilots went through.
And the FAA checks they had to pass.

I'd been through it.
Hell, I usually knew the guys in the cockpit.
I trusted them implicitly when I brought my family for a flight.

Now I don't so much.
So I know I'm putting my life in the hands of the two people in the cockpit.
And I don't know how good they are.
A lot of things have changed since I flew.
How good are these drivers?

I am not a good passenger.
I'd much rather be in the cockpit.

[HipChick]

9. of the CRJ's, the 900 is the only one I will fly..

[trof]

12. Why?

I've found Embraier CJs to be much more comfortable.

[HipChick]

13. The ones I fly have first class

99% of the time, I get upgraded and don't have to deal with the cattle crowding back there..

[mnhtnbb]

10. I've never deplaned rather than freak out, but I do tell about a trip

to London one time where I was SO uncomfortable in coach that I spent most
of the flight walking the aisles. This was March 2001--pre 9/11--which now
would probably freak out all the crew.

I refer to it as the trip where I walked to London.



You did the right thing to deplane.

[Brigid]

14. A while back,

I saw something on TV (maybe History or H2) about death and ESP. A group of statisticians got curious about how full planes were that crashed versus those that arrived at their destinations safely. They did some research and analysis and found that not only were the flights that crashed less full than the ones that did not, but that the ones that crashed frequently had a number of last-minute cancellations. Spooky.

[R B Garr]

15. I didn't deplane, but I did have some claustrophobic thoughts that made

my heart race and felt like I might faint and I would have deplaned, but I got distracted with other people boarding. Plus, my incident was on a regular jet and not the cramped plane you're describing. Yikes.

It had been several years since I'd flown, and as I boarded and sat in the rear of the plane, I had a wait while other passengers were coming on to realize that I was trapped in this metal cylinder for hours that was soon going to be hurtling through clouds, and there was no way out. I felt panic, and I did think seriously about exiting. I've flown plenty of times, so the fear seemed to come out of nowhere for me. Luckily, I got distracted while others were boarding, and their activity got me out of that mental spot, but I do remember feeling regret that I might not be able to fly anymore. It's passed now though. I've flown quite a few times since then with no problems.

You did the right thing for yourself, and bless your wife that she was so supportive and quick to recognize your distress. Smart woman! Glad you're okay now.

[steve2470]

16. that sounds terrible, you definitely made a good decision ! nt

[RebelOne]

17. I would have survived as long as I had a window

to look out of. But seems you didn't. I would definitely feel claustrophobic.

[trof]

18. The low overhead and narrow aisle were equally disturbing to me.

[trof]

19. Update: Want some Valium? And 'passenger complaints' about the CRJ900.

I talked it over with my doctor. She said it's possible this could happen again, even with another type of aircraft. Suggested I try Valium a couple of hours before next flight.
We'll see.
Have you taken it?
What was your experience?

I did a DuckDuckGo search for 'passenger complaints CRJ900' and there are hundreds similar to mine.
I like DuckDuck.
https://duckduckgo.com/
"Search anonymously. Find instantly."

[handmade34]

20. take the valium

will ease the stress... just my take... stole one from my mother once 40+ years ago... didn't seem so bad

[mrmpa]

23. I took valium on my first fllight across the Atlantic.............

it was wonderful! Slept well, very relaxed and woke up with no disorientation or tiredness.

[EnviroBat]

21. Claustrophobia is no joke...

I've had it so bad that I blacked out. I was stuck in the back seat of a small Porsche, (that really isn't a back seat at all), and my feet were caught under the passenger seat. Wasn't able to move one of my arms, and the top of my head was hitting the roof. I could feel the freak out coming. Suddenly my heart began racing, and it was difficult to breathe. I felt the blood leaving my head and then every thing went dark. When I came to, my friend and her father were kneeling over me in a parking lot. I still don't know how they were able to get me out of there...

[fizzgig]

22. i did that once

was flying from portland, ore to denver, got to the gate, saw nothing but a tube of death. i turned around, got my luggage and drove the 18 hours home.