Endured a grueling 12-hour flight from Bangkok to Helsinki where I was unfortunately seated in front of a passenger (and his wife) experiencing frequent coughing fits (extremely loud, choking sounds) with watery mucus and labored breathing. While I am unsure of the specific illness, their condition made the flight incredibly stressful and unpleasant. The flight was full so we could not change seats, leaving my partner and I feeling helpless and exposed to a potential biohazard situation. Luckily we had masks and plenty of disinfectant wipes, and that still wasn’t enough. I’m pretty sure the windows and the seat behind us was coated with fluids.
What is the passenger recourse in such circumstances? They clearly should not have been allowed on this flight. I don’t know how they made it past checkin in their condition.