Korean Job Discussion Forums

[charlieDD]

On a flight to San Francisco, on United Airlines, on an American-made Boeing 777, I get to my coach-class seat and the Korean 45-yr old, or so, woman who is so unfortunate to have to sit next to a foreigner perks up to her husband "Aei eee goo. I have to sit next to a waegook." ( Imagine that! A foreigner on an international flight !), I gave her a look, a wink and a smile and had my seat. (And I'm thinking: Don't like it? Buy a business class ticket, lady! Or, don't travel internationally!)

Then, in the flight her passive-aggressive nature kicks in: She keeps elbowing my elbow to try to take complete, unshared control of the common armrest between our seats. I decide to completely ignore it and let her work up her frustration over it. She continued this throughout the enire flight, never once just giving up, except when she fell asleep - - - at which time I returned the favor ! ( I thought about putting a dab of chocolate on my bare elbow to spoil her long-sleeved blouse, but wimped out.)

She was in the middle seat of the three seats of the middle section, her husband on her left. Yet, each time she wanted to get up, she interrupted me rather than her husband to get out of the row, even though her husband was awake and just reading or watching a movie.

At one point in the flight I'm reading my paper and have my overhead light on. She reaches over to my side of the armrest and turns the lamp off ! I speak to her in Korean, taking her aback, and tell her "This one is mine; that one is yours" , pointing out our respective controls. About a half hour later, she tries reaching up to the lamp. Not able to reach it, she starts swatting a magazine at it, trying to shift it so that the light doesn't impact her space at all. I just look at her and she stops that.

[Boodleheimer]

that's hilarious!! i sat next to a Korean woman once-- she must have been about 40 yrs old-- and she must have spent about $300 on duty-free face and skin products. and i let her have the armrest.

[poet13]

A friend once told me that he wiped a booger on the armrest and made sure the person next to him saw him do it. He said the armrest was all his even when he wasn't using it.

[periwinkle]

My worst flight ever was when I was on a very late flight, wanting to sleep, and the biatch next to me talked over me the entire time (2 1/2 hours) to the guy seated next to the window (she was on the aisle, I was in the middle). I asked her if she wanted to sit next to him, and she said very sarcastically, "Oh, are we bothering you?" She couldn't have cared less. I was an airline employee at the time, in uniform, and couldn't say anything back to her. I sat there and stewed for the whole flight, but I amused myself by thinking of snotty replies to her inane, self-absorbed conversation. I guess her mother didn't teach her it's rude to talk over ppl.

Another time when I was in uniform, the guy behind me totally went off cuz I had my seat reclined all the way, and he felt I was invading his space or something. If he had been polite, I would've raised my seat (Why is , "Excuse me, miss, but do you mind raising your seat a bit? I feel a bit cramped.." so difficult?). However, I only raised it a bit, and then he started to kick the back of my seat. Hard. Serious anger mgmnt. issues. Finally I raised it because I thought he was going to have a coronary- face got all red, veins sticking out his neck.

Flying sucks.

[contrarian]

My flight from hell wasabout 4 years ago.

I had flown from Seoul to Bangkok and then one to Britain. As I was waiting to board I was sitting next to a very small Bangladeshi man and his very fat wife. She had crutches and an elastic tap in her ankle. She got early boarding.

I had book a window bulhead seat. When I got to my seat. The runty Bangledeshi was in it. His wife was in the aisle seat and allof their stuff was in the middle.

You are in my seat.

Oh! Do you mid sitting elsewhere?

As a matter of fact I do! Get out of my seat!

He calls the flight attendant. She points out a seat in the middle section and askedme to take that. I refused.

With much maoning, graoning and bad grace the guy give me my seat. He sits in the middle and the flight attendant moves takes his wife's crutches. Fine for a couple of hours.

It gets dark and he calls the flight attendant to complain about my still having the window uncovered and the cold. I ignored him.

He then gets a blanket and sits on his seat in the lotus position with hte blanket over his head. His knee is firmly planted in my rib. After about 4 more hours he gets up to, I expect, take a whiz. I pull the armrest between us down while he's gone. He comes back but can't resume the lotus. No more knee, so he plants his elbow in my rib for the next four hours.

I am ready to stuff his head in the toilet by the time we land.

The last I see of him and his wife, is as I clear customs. She is carrying her crutches and jogging across the waiting area. The crutches were just a stage prop for special priviledges.

[JongnoGuru]

She's back!



No chance, young lady -- No CHANCE are you slithering back on this board with some gabby little post about flying!

What's up!!!???? Is that a boy or a girl??? Start a thread NOW! Those are my orders.

Welcome back, Periwinkle!

[Wrench]

I've learned one thing in life that holds true every time.. When people are a-holes brutal honesty is the best policy.

[ThePoet]

On my recent trip to the Philippines, after the flight, all the Koreans are pushing in front of me at immigration because they are all "groups" of Koreans who happen to know someone just in front of me in line, I get my bag and am at the very back of the line waiting for customs....one customs officer is working.

As I am waiting, another customs officer goes to her booth, looks right at me and tells me to come and she will clear me. Immediately the young women start their sing-song whining, the young men start demanding to be served first, and the rest of the inner circle before that butted in front of me start complaining to her why they aren't before me(!)

She says without hesitation "Because you are all part of a group and he is by himself"...it was amazing how all of them then claimed not to be part of a group and they were by themselves. She looked at me and said "You are a nice man, have a good evening" and passed me through after taking enough time to let them boil as she "reviewed my document".

It was a little embarrassing, but oh so satisfying.

ThePoet

[poet13]

That sounds like Allera at Clarke field. She would do something like that.

[Cheonmunka]

I had a spate of good luck with Korean Air and got bumped to business more times than not. Oh, so fortunate to have a smart wife and cute kids.
I looooove business class.
I volunteered once when flying solo to give an elderly economy class seat man from Mongolia my business class seat. He had an operation and was returning to Mongolia. But he declined.

PS: Is there really any need to recline the seat all the way back? I don't do that out of respect for the person behind. It irks me when people in front have their seat reclined back onto my knees. Just half reclined is enough.
Unless it's business class. Wow. Just like lazyboy chairs with room for everyone.

[charlieDD]

[Cheonmunka]

But then, I think, pple have their own reasons to recline their seat. Most pple pull their's up when it's daylight. Some pple have their's reclined the whole flight simply because it gives them more room. They grudgingly lift it up when the attendant gives out meals and tells them to.
But, it's not cool for the person behind to have a seat on them the whole flight.

[SuperFly]

[simpleminds]

[seoulshock]

The airlines should triple the costs of tickets, make the seats bigger and more comfortable. I doubt the number of people flying would even cut in half. The rest who can't afford can go back to buses and trains.

It'd at least make flying a more pleasant experience, airlines may actually start to turn a profit, and it would be safer.