After a tiring swimming competition in London, James boards an eight-hour flight to New York, hoping to get some sleep. Armed with earplugs and sleeping pills, he’s ready to zone out—until he meets the woman in the aisle seat. From the moment she sits down, it’s clear she’s going to be trouble. Complaining about space, pressing the call button repeatedly, and making snide remarks, she dubs herself the victim of a “human rights violation.” Her constant elbowing and loud rants make the flight unbearable for James and the quiet woman in the window seat. Flight attendants try to calm her, but nothing works. She even demands that James and the other woman be moved so she can have more space. By hour four, James is at his limit. When the plane finally lands, she jumps up before the seatbelt sign turns off and rushes to the front. But the captain’s voice comes on: “We have a special guest onboard today…” He walks down the, aisle and stops—right at James’s row. “Here she is in seat 42C! Let’s give her a round of applause.” The entire plane claps and laughs as the woman turns red with embarrassment. It’s the perfect ending to an otherwise exhausting flight. James and the window-seat woman share a laugh, both grateful it’s finally over—and hoping never to fly with a “Karen” again
