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Dori Monson learned the hard way there is indeed something worse than simply being stuck in the middle seat. (AP image)

Dori survives one foul flight

BY Josh Kerns  on November 12, 2012 @ 12:38 pm (Updated: 3:49 pm - 11/12/12 )

There's nothing worse than getting stuck in the middle seat of an airplane. Or so Dori Monson thought, until he found out how it could be way more miserable.

Dori says he was flying to Phoenix over the weekend with his youngest daughter to tour Arizona State University. But soon after takeoff, he wasn't sure if he would survive the flight. Suffice it to say, the big guy next to him was slightly "explosive."

"There was a guy next to the window. I am not exaggerating this for radio purposes," Dori told producer Jake as he recounted his olfactory ordeal. "The most flatulent man I have ever sat next to on an airplane."

Dori was trapped for the nearly three hour flight. The little air vent above was no match.

"It was just awful, and then about 45 minutes into the flight he fell sound asleep and he was a big snorer, too."

The only saving grace was the flatulence seemed to subside while the guy snoozed. Unfortunately, the respite was short lived.

"All of a sudden, here it comes again. Oh my goodness gracious I wanted to die."

Somehow, Dori mustered the strength to survive. From attending a Phoenix Suns game to lovely campus tour, everything else came up roses. But given how strongly the sense of smell is linked to memory, Dori won't be forgetting his foul flight anytime soon.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (5)


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  • RichardCheese wrote...
    .
    November 12, 2012 4:28 pm
    cool story bro?
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Been There
    November 12, 2012 6:01 pm
    A flight to Chicago next to a 300 lb woman who probabaly hadn't bathed for a month...Her gerth was literaly spilling into my seat. It was absolutely HORRID! plus, she didn't stop eating for the 5 hour flight. It was a near death experience!
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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    From DFW to SeaTac
    November 12, 2012 9:09 pm
    I sat next to a VERY talkative woman with breath that would gag a maggot!

    I turned the "air conditioning" vent as full as possible and directed it to the gap between us. I also asked if she needed air, hoping to turn her vent on as high as possible and blow any scent away. No such luck.

    "No thank you, dear. That sure is a kind gesture on your part but I really don't need air at this time, thank you." Kind gesture? Hardly! I was gasping for oxygen between her sentences. Even with my vent on full I still had to look away to take breaths, and I tried not to make it obvious, being the gentleman I am... ;-}

    I really did have a nice conversation with her between naps, but her breath was something........ memorable........

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  • ron prevost wrote...
    So, Dori. Was it worde that that baby diaper on a Metro bus a couple of weeks ago ?
    November 13, 2012 7:35 am
    When is it going to dawn on you that the airlines DON'T CARE ?

    But, being a slender man, I regularly only get half a seat (if that) when I fly. I once sat next to a 500lb+ man who needed an extender belt and couldn't allow the are rests. And to top that off, I did have the middle seat and couldn't even get to the bathroom. After 10 minutes out of Dallas, I would have traded for your stinker in a flash.

    But, I guess, the stinkers and the morbidly obese fly a lot, so the airlines don't want to offend them - by putting them off or actually charging for 2 seats when they take up three. Oh, well. I've discovered trains these past 11 years. ... And with all the hassle of TSA, anything closer that LA they are actually quicker.

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  • boyerbl wrote...
    Getting old...
    November 14, 2012 12:04 pm
    Dori, I used to not have a "Gas" problem until my mid 50's. Now when I fly I usually have to clean out my system a day prior and no beans or cabbage before a flight. It seems that the altitude will cause me extreme gas bloating and pain and Only when we land does my pain finally stop.
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