chicinchicago

I've been a motion sick person my entire life and, even if I'm feeling 100%, will ALWAYS make sure there's a sick bag in my seat pocket just in case. 99% of the time, there's one in there, but I've had to ask once or twice. Do people not realize these still exist?!

Evident

Oh goodness... who would have an appetite after experiencing that/

Proudelitist

In my experience, the bags are always there on early morning flights. But after the plane has made a few flights during the day, by the afternoon they are gone. Either people are using them or collecting them. Or perhaps, they are just not replenished.

At least some airlines keep a supply in the lav.

transportprof

People use these bags to for all manner of things. I've seen people use them as trash bags for the remnants of food they brought on board. I've seen people use them to store "stuff" that they had out from their bags in the overhead before landing because it was easier to collect all the little bits in the bag than to reopen the bin after the seatbelt sign had come on during descent.
And once on a flight in China, I saw some dude relieve himself into one of these bags when there was turbulence and there was no possibility to get to the lav.

tuolumne

HA! I am wondering what type of "relief", but I guess it's better we leave that to the imagination...

bubbashow

I have a rare reaction to vomiting. Vasovagal syncope....I faint right at the moment of retching and am unconscious when I vomit. Every. Single. Time. It's awful. Flying HKG-SEA one day on DL, I had taken an Ambien and felt fine at boarding and takeoff. I was in the window, my buddy was in the aisle. He said I leaned over from sleeping, was dead weight on his shoulders and vomited all over him. Turns out it was some type of virus - he was sick 4 days later.

Point is, sometimes it is accidental. I had no idea I was sick when I got on the plane. I was mortified - even though it was a dear friend. Sadly, I am sure I made others sick around me.

chicagoflyer1976

I see people use these all of the time to put food in (e.g., save the hot nuts for later). I could never eat anything out of an air sick bag. Just the thought that it is intended for vomit makes me sick - how anyone could eat something out of it is beyond me.

username

Well, this happened to me again but a different situation. I was sitting at 1B (737) and saw this guy asking for the FA for something as soon as he stepped onto the plane during boarding. The FA scrambled to find a plastic bag.

The guy opened it up and stepped into the galley by door 1R. The FAs stepped by the cockpit door. The guy was done in seconds and handed a bag with a decent amount of contents to the FA then went into the Lav. I did not see or smell the FAs do anything special - washing their hands, sanitizing the galley, etc.

The woman next to me (who seemed like a world traveller from the tags on her bag) said she has caught the Norovirus twice in the last few months - in the US - and how scary it was.

Anyway, I asked the guy if it is anything contagious when he came out. He said no. Luckily it was a short flight so I did not have to eat or go to the lav....and have not come down with anything 36 hours later.

Unrelated....people use their hands to take the cookies in the United Club and that is another source of contamination.

MostlyUA

A few days ago, two kids got sick as the flight was landing (one triggering the other's gag reaction). I gave all the little UA tissue packs I hoard in my laptop bag and airline hand wipes to the mother. She was absolutely mortified. Her seatmate (not her spouse) got up and left.

about 10 years ago, my son puked all over the seat before the flight took off. UA GA escorted us off (because he was obviously sick). We managed to get on a later flight (after a lot of pepto bismol and washing up).

transportprof

How do you get up and leave during landing?

MostlyUA

The guy left his seat soon after the plane landed. And, though it was still taxiing, the FA's asked him to just hold on and not fall (not by the rules IMO). In the meanwhile, he kept muttering "the smell is going to make me throw up!"

transportprof

Wow! I guess that an exception was made to the "stay in your seat with the seatbelt fastened" rule for exceptional circumstances. It was definitely against FAA regulations.