I’ve had my fair share of strange things happen while traveling, like someone trying to buy the sweater I was wearing from me in a club lounge. But this one really ranks up there as well, for a multitude of reasons.
Yesterday I was transiting Muscat Airport, enroute from Bangkok to Frankfurt. My connection was just an hour, so by the time I cleared security it was time to get on the bus back to our remote stand (Muscat Airport doesn’t have any gates).
The bus was fairly crowded, and there was a German couple standing near me, probably in their mid-50s. The guy was dressed like he was showing up for a Fonz reunion, while the lady was dressed as if she quite literally thought she was “Forever 21.”
The guy kissed the lady in the bus to the remote stand in a rather sensual way. First of all, we’re in the Middle East, so take it easy. Second of all, we’re in a crowded bus headed to a remote stand in the Middle East, so back down.
As the bus started driving he began singing some old German tune with “Auf Wiedersehen” as the repeating lyric. Again, we are in a crowded bus and you’re about six inches from the person closest to you, so please don’t sing.
The bus was crowded, and I was standing near his wife, and was taking pictures through the window. After all, the planes at Muscat Airport are rather interesting, including this little Qatar Airways beauty.
I should also note that I was really tired (at that point I had flown from Changsha to Los Angeles to New York to Madrid to Frankfurt to Muscat to Bangkok to Muscat in less than a week). So when I wasn’t looking out the window my eyes were more or less closed and perhaps not moving much, as I was struggling to stay awake.
As we got off the bus and were waiting to walk up the stairs, the guy grabs my arm and says (I’m translating here, he was speaking in German), “I see how you’re looking at my lady, she’s mine.”
It’s not often I’m speechless, but I was at a loss of words on so many levels. I was dumbfounded.
I simply said “I’m sorry,” and went on my way.
They were seated in economy, though the guy came up to business class at least three times during the flight to “stretch.” At least that’s what it was the first time.
The second time he came up to business class because he wanted a brush for his hair.
The third time he was literally swiping things from the seats (I couldn’t see what it was), and trying (very badly) to hide them in his jacket as he walked back to economy.
All in a day’s flying for an aviation geek, I suppose!
So what did you do besides run to your keyboard and blog about it?
Oh yes... "I'm sorry".
One day you'll become a real boy, Pinocchio
@Lucky Pardon my probably broken German....it's been years since I have had to use it for anything other than asking directions and cussing.
My response probably would have been something along the lines of: Sie? Sie hat mehr als eine Gemeinschaft Fahrrad gefahren. ("Her? She's been ridden more than a community bicycle.")
My first thought was that they are pickpockets as well.
The strangest behaviour I've seen was a woman in a regional flight in Mexico sitting next to me. After we were served the meal (which wasn't particularly great) she took a plastic bag and put everything in it - including the tray - and put the full plastic bag carefully inside her enormous handbag. She didn't care I was watching her in disbelief. Bizarre!
VALUETRAVELEROZ, sorry nobody looks at your lame blog so you have to come to a more popular one and crap out a big poop of stupidity to try to draw in readers.
No bus for business class passengers only? When travelling with Oman Air there's always been a separate, slightly nicer bus for the premium pax (not anywhere near as nice as Emirates business class buses, but still a nice touch).
A FA should have told this nutcase in no uncertain terms to return to the Y cabin and that Business (or F) is reserved exclusively for those passengers only. He can do his 'stretching' and walking in his own cabin which in any event is much larger (although more populated).
Failing that, the 'seatbelts on' ping alters the situation dramatically; disobey a crew instruction and you're in DEEP TROUBLE if the crew member decides that's the way it's going down!
@Tom - LOL at the pickpocket idea, you're a smarter traveler then I am.
@Credit - That's some nice stereotyping. I love that your assume Lucky, with two German parents, German fluency, and who has spent something close to a year in Germany was just too 'American' to pick up on the German humor...
Dear Marty Dee, indeed it is a different world, in that we don't need "no shoes, no shirt, no service" signs. Pretty sure it was just your bad luck. Apart from the fact that Europe consists of 40+ countries and the mentality and temperament of people varies quite a bit, I think that guy was just a douchebag extraordinaire, no matter where he was from.
He should have been told to leave the cabin and go back to coach. He did not pay for it.
My experience with many Europeans is just a lack of etiquette and basic manners. Maybe it's my bad luck. But it is a completely different world over there.
You should have said it's woman that ugly that turned me gay. Oh wait, that would have not gone over well either.
Well, whatever that dude was stealing, I hope he got caught. Certainly you said something...right?
Classic pick-pocket strategy. Crowded bus, 2 or more people engage in bizarre/distracting behaviour combined with engineering a reason to physically touch you.
Add to that the scoping of the biz cabin followed by a return visit to take stuff.
I think you got lucky not to lose a phone/wallet in this encounter
Some people on planes are crazy. I flew LX PVG-ZRH a couple years ago and there was this guy seated at the back at the cabin, wearing sunglasses the whole time and staring at everyone. At some point in the flight I went to one of the empty seats to get an amenity kit with a different design and he just told me "Stop doing that!" Ok, dude...
He was joking most likely. A German with a bad sense of humor and an American who takes things literally.
Wonder what he was taking? I leave things out when I go to the lavatory - something new to worry about.....
You should have had him identify his lady to confirm that it wasn't the lady that you were in fact staring at. Then escalated it based on his insulting your taste in women. Lol
I'm guessing he doesn't read your blog. Or know you at ALL:)
Does "In your dreams" translate well in German? The clever retorts are really endless; I wish I had gotten that gay gene.
Can I focus on something else? The swiping of stuff from business class? I think it's tacky even when people do it at the END of a flight, but at the beginning? Sheesh.
Hee-lar-e-ous!!!!
he's obviously insane, proven by his behaviour on the plane, you should have reported his suspicious behaviour
That Qatar Executive jet looks gorgeous.
You should have said: "B*tch, please! I look prettier in drag than your girl!" (In German) That would have sobered him up.
People can be such a pain in the arse. We had a couple in their 50's totally making out in front of us in business class bulkhead on an AA LAX-LHR flight, for at least the first couple of hours. Talk about appetite suppressant. I also try to avoid sitting in the last row of business class. Have seen too many Y passengers stow their luggage in the business class overhead bins, and coming back...
People can be such a pain in the arse. We had a couple in their 50's totally making out in front of us in business class bulkhead on an AA LAX-LHR flight, for at least the first couple of hours. Talk about appetite suppressant. I also try to avoid sitting in the last row of business class. Have seen too many Y passengers stow their luggage in the business class overhead bins, and coming back and forth to retrieve and put away items. Would love the FA's to pay more attention to this sort of thing and maintain some level of cabin integrity. Sometimes the flimsy curtain is not enough.
Well that sucks....Trump supporters are now getting passports it seems...
crazy people scare me :(
did you respond in german or english?