Don't fly with Pneumonia!
Jan 14, 2016, 4:03 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX, ONT
Programs: Avios, Mileage Plus, Elevate, Skywards
Posts: 48
Don't fly with Pneumonia!
So yesterday, I took a small trip from LAX to DFW with American Airlines on the 787 Dreamliner. I wanted to take this trip because it was $90 r/t (same-day trip) and I wanted to get away. LA does awful things to you! Both physically and emotionally. Driving a million miles to/from work, family, pets, life in general. I mean I had been to Europe twice as well as San Francisco in the last 11 months. 10 flight in total in the 11 months. I guess it was not enough for me. So I made the purchase on December 26, 2015 and thought this would be a nice X-mas present to myself to start the new year.
Little did I know I would be so miserable that I believed I never wanted to fly ever again.
Lets go back a week. My mom texted me saying she was in the emergency room. She had a fainting spell at work so I drove to the hospital. Needless to say, I waited with her for 8 hours. She was fine by the end.
Anyways, a couple days later I felt myself getting sick. At first I thought it was just a cold. Coughing, sneezing, and the kitchen sink. Thankfully, as a sickly sort of person, I am stocked up like a local pharmacy in medications. I took some over-the-counter stuff and continued my week. My mom, who used to be a nurse, told me I had pneumonia. "Damn!" I thought to myself.
By this time, I was coughing up phlegm, clearing my throat, hacking, and just about anything else one could think up. My body was now hurting from coughing so much. I wanted to die!
Finally, the day of departure, I woke up around midnight. I couldn't sleep. I had previously set my alarm for 3:30am for an 8:35am departure. I also live about an hour from LAX so I had to get there early. I did leave my home at 4:35am and trekked 45 or so miles to LAX. In the week leading to my trip, I debated if I should park at the $12 a day parking that utilizes a free bus to the terminals or pay $30 a day and park at the terminal. I decided the latter and walked over to the terminal. My body still aching from coughing and my throat was scratchy. I was determined to go and given it would cost $200 to change the flight, it was not worth it.
I got to the terminal and waited with everyone else. Luckily, my domestic American Airlines flight was departing from the Tom Bradley Int'l Terminal since the 787 just arrived from South America. While waiting, I was coughing and hacking some more. I tried to do it as quietly as possible. I didn't want to be the person that everyone looks at and dreads to sit on a plane with.
I finally boarded the plane and sat in my seat, 30L. Last seat on the plane. It was a two-seater and when I checked in, I did not have a seat mate. I was surprised. My seat mate was a gentleman who was 6'4" or something. He squeezed in next to me. We were squished together. He looked uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable. Luckily, the row next to him was empty so he took those and I had the two-seater to myself. Throughout the whole flight, I was coughing and hacking. I felt bad. Not just for myself, but the others. The 787 is a relatively quiet plane even in the last row with the engine roaring continuously.
Round-two. The return flight.
The one nice thing I like about domestic flights is that there is rarely a terminal change with the same airline, anyway. I return flight, happened to be the 787 we parked next to at Gate A23 in DFW. Thankfully I only had to walk a few feet and wait for my next flight. There was only an hour or so until boarding so I just rested. While waiting, I used the AA app in my iPhone to check the seating. I had changed it a couple times leading up to the flight. There was no way of me getting an empty seat next to me. So I opted for an emergency exit row. Seat 19A. That was a big mistake! I boarded the plane and tried to squeeze into the seat. For the entire flight, I cocooned myself in my seat so I wouldn't bother my seat mate...too much. Very uncomfortable. That was the longest 2:47 of my life.
Upon returning to LAX, I walked off the plane in pain. Both physically from the coughing and the seating position I took on the plane and also emotionally from the coughing and the seating position I took on the plane. When I finally made it to my car, I thought I had made at least one good decision and that was paying $30 for parking. The 2+ hours on the LA freeways in rush hour to get home took that good feeling away.
So what did I learn from this experience? DON'T FLY WHEN YOU'RE GETTING OVER PNEUMONIA! Sure, I've had a few other problems when travelling by plane, but this was one of the worst in recent memories. Nothing good came out of this trip.
I genuinely love flying. I have since I was a young boy. After this trip, I have been on 105 flights in my life. Sure, it's may not sound like much to most here, but at 27 years old, it's not bad.
In the end, I will always choose to travel by plane, but plan to seal myself in a plastic bubble two weeks prior to travelling anywhere so I don't get deathly ill.
Little did I know I would be so miserable that I believed I never wanted to fly ever again.
Lets go back a week. My mom texted me saying she was in the emergency room. She had a fainting spell at work so I drove to the hospital. Needless to say, I waited with her for 8 hours. She was fine by the end.
Anyways, a couple days later I felt myself getting sick. At first I thought it was just a cold. Coughing, sneezing, and the kitchen sink. Thankfully, as a sickly sort of person, I am stocked up like a local pharmacy in medications. I took some over-the-counter stuff and continued my week. My mom, who used to be a nurse, told me I had pneumonia. "Damn!" I thought to myself.
By this time, I was coughing up phlegm, clearing my throat, hacking, and just about anything else one could think up. My body was now hurting from coughing so much. I wanted to die!
Finally, the day of departure, I woke up around midnight. I couldn't sleep. I had previously set my alarm for 3:30am for an 8:35am departure. I also live about an hour from LAX so I had to get there early. I did leave my home at 4:35am and trekked 45 or so miles to LAX. In the week leading to my trip, I debated if I should park at the $12 a day parking that utilizes a free bus to the terminals or pay $30 a day and park at the terminal. I decided the latter and walked over to the terminal. My body still aching from coughing and my throat was scratchy. I was determined to go and given it would cost $200 to change the flight, it was not worth it.
I got to the terminal and waited with everyone else. Luckily, my domestic American Airlines flight was departing from the Tom Bradley Int'l Terminal since the 787 just arrived from South America. While waiting, I was coughing and hacking some more. I tried to do it as quietly as possible. I didn't want to be the person that everyone looks at and dreads to sit on a plane with.
I finally boarded the plane and sat in my seat, 30L. Last seat on the plane. It was a two-seater and when I checked in, I did not have a seat mate. I was surprised. My seat mate was a gentleman who was 6'4" or something. He squeezed in next to me. We were squished together. He looked uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable. Luckily, the row next to him was empty so he took those and I had the two-seater to myself. Throughout the whole flight, I was coughing and hacking. I felt bad. Not just for myself, but the others. The 787 is a relatively quiet plane even in the last row with the engine roaring continuously.
Round-two. The return flight.
The one nice thing I like about domestic flights is that there is rarely a terminal change with the same airline, anyway. I return flight, happened to be the 787 we parked next to at Gate A23 in DFW. Thankfully I only had to walk a few feet and wait for my next flight. There was only an hour or so until boarding so I just rested. While waiting, I used the AA app in my iPhone to check the seating. I had changed it a couple times leading up to the flight. There was no way of me getting an empty seat next to me. So I opted for an emergency exit row. Seat 19A. That was a big mistake! I boarded the plane and tried to squeeze into the seat. For the entire flight, I cocooned myself in my seat so I wouldn't bother my seat mate...too much. Very uncomfortable. That was the longest 2:47 of my life.
Upon returning to LAX, I walked off the plane in pain. Both physically from the coughing and the seating position I took on the plane and also emotionally from the coughing and the seating position I took on the plane. When I finally made it to my car, I thought I had made at least one good decision and that was paying $30 for parking. The 2+ hours on the LA freeways in rush hour to get home took that good feeling away.
So what did I learn from this experience? DON'T FLY WHEN YOU'RE GETTING OVER PNEUMONIA! Sure, I've had a few other problems when travelling by plane, but this was one of the worst in recent memories. Nothing good came out of this trip.
I genuinely love flying. I have since I was a young boy. After this trip, I have been on 105 flights in my life. Sure, it's may not sound like much to most here, but at 27 years old, it's not bad.
In the end, I will always choose to travel by plane, but plan to seal myself in a plastic bubble two weeks prior to travelling anywhere so I don't get deathly ill.
Jan 14, 2016, 4:33 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
Did you give any consideration whatsoever to whether your conduct put others (including children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems) at risk of contracting your illness? Or were you just determined to get your $90 worth?
Did you give any consideration whatsoever to whether your conduct put others (including children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems) at risk of contracting your illness? Or were you just determined to get your $90 worth?
Jan 14, 2016, 4:44 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CLE
Posts: 1,886
I've had pneumonia. It knocked me off my tushie for two weeks. I was in excellent health when I became ill, this was eleven years ago. Last month I had the Prevnar-13 shot. Because I have Type II diabetes my immune system isn't the best. I'm not trying to lecture you but what the he-double hockey sticks were you doing on a plane??? Do you realized how many people you exposed your germs too? Also to note; don't the gate agents notice you were too sick to fly? You need to be in bed and on antibiotics.
Jan 14, 2016, 5:22 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: AA, UA lowly commoner
Posts: 780
You say that LA does awful things to you physically and emotionally--then did you really not consider what flying while ill would do to you, and to your fellow passengers? So now you can say you've taken 105 flights instead of 103. Shrug.
Jan 14, 2016, 5:54 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
No offense to your mother, but without a complete exam and especially a chest x-ray, I'm not sure how it was certain that you had pneumonia as opposed to something else...much less whether it was a viral or bacterial infection. Antibiotics would have begun treating a bacterial source but not viral and you may have been in better shape for your flight had you sought actual medical attention earlier.
Regardless, I wouldn't have made myself miserable by flying for no reason. The $90 was sunk cost so why torture yourself and possibly infect others?
Regardless, I wouldn't have made myself miserable by flying for no reason. The $90 was sunk cost so why torture yourself and possibly infect others?
Jan 14, 2016, 8:14 pm
#7
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And here I thought the dude was going to tell us he had an empyema and developed a pneumothorax due to decreased cabin pressure on an essential flight.
By the way, the cost calculation gets down to $60 when you subtract the $30 that OP needlessly paid for parking and down to $30 if you figure the round trip car at 60 miles, $0.50 cents per mile.
Good money after bad.
By the way, the cost calculation gets down to $60 when you subtract the $30 that OP needlessly paid for parking and down to $30 if you figure the round trip car at 60 miles, $0.50 cents per mile.
Good money after bad.
Jan 14, 2016, 8:18 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Posts: 7,830
And here I thought the dude was going to tell us he had an empyema and developed a pneumothorax due to decreased cabin pressure on an essential flight.
By the way, the cost calculation gets down to $60 when you subtract the $30 that OP needlessly paid for parking and down to $30 if you figure the round trip car at 60 miles, $0.50 cents per mile.
Good money after bad.
By the way, the cost calculation gets down to $60 when you subtract the $30 that OP needlessly paid for parking and down to $30 if you figure the round trip car at 60 miles, $0.50 cents per mile.
Good money after bad.
Jan 15, 2016, 9:16 am
#10
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 770
what a stupid selfish person you are. i travel with my young children all the time. if somebody was coughing and sneezing all over the place i would have been upset. and if i then found out he took this trip just for fun and knew he was sick i would have been very upset.. i just hope you learn from this and grow up... and in terms of money you still had to shell out $30 for parking and maybe another $30 in gas..
Jan 15, 2016, 9:44 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador: World of Hyatt
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I wonder how many people got sick because someone had to take an unnecessary trip while really sick 
L
L
Jan 15, 2016, 1:49 pm
#12
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It's my understanding that AA may allow flexibility with cancelation/date change for medical with a valid doctor's note. Why not pursue that?
Your CC that purchased the flight probably had similar insurance too.
Your CC that purchased the flight probably had similar insurance too.
Jan 15, 2016, 2:19 pm
#13
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Florida USA
Programs: Lufthansa
Posts: 73
My biggest wonder is how was I not on that plane in the "partner" seat with no place to run to. It is usually my fate to get the coughing, spewing, sick person in the next seat who has little regard for the size of the cabin, proximity of the passengers and illness they are spreading to other people. Fortunately I have a strong immune system and usually beat this stuff. Sometimes I am not so lucky and lay in a bed in a strange city, extremely ill with a voodoo doll and some pins in hand.
Jan 15, 2016, 9:25 pm
#14
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DMV
Posts: 2,092
The story makes no sense on any level and it's likely some sort of trolling attempt as people with highly infectious, potentially lethal diseases on airplanes tend to be controversial and typically will trigger a response.
Jan 15, 2016, 10:15 pm
#15
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I dunno, sounds like a typical mileage runner.
Still stupid, though.
And pneumonia isn't really all that infectious. Viral upper respiratory infections are, though.
Anyway, since dude hasn't checked back in, I, too, suspect an ugly being which dwells beneath a bridge.
Still stupid, though.
And pneumonia isn't really all that infectious. Viral upper respiratory infections are, though.
Anyway, since dude hasn't checked back in, I, too, suspect an ugly being which dwells beneath a bridge.