Got BO? No flying for you

[delalluvia]

I think something like this ties into the long discussion we had over the issue of should disruptive children be removed from planes.  A captive audience, unable to escape, requires that we all try to be as inoffensive as possible.

A man on Jazz Air, a regional airline in Canada that also serves U.S. cities, was reportedly kicked off a plane earlier this month because of his strong body odor.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/02/18/smelly.passenger/index.html?hpt=T2

[Lynne]

Golly, I hate it when I forget to put on deodorant.

But this is just another big ol' can of worms.  A lot of people - more than you might imagine - are ultra-sensitive to fragrances so many of the things we do to cover BO is just as (or more) intolerable to them than just letting the BO be.

 

[Marge_Innavera]

Someone gets booted off a flight because they're fat.  Then someone gets booted off a flight because they have body odor.

In a just world, people with screaming kids would be denied boarding too, but don't hold your breath waiting for that.  The very suggestion tends to make peoples' heads explode.

[LauraGigs]

Golly, I hate it when I forget to put on deodorant.

But this is just another big ol' can of worms.  A lot of people - more than you might imagine - are ultra-sensitive to fragrances so many of the things we do to cover BO is just as (or more) intolerable to them than just letting the BO be.

Yeah, but this couldn't have been a case of forgetting his deodorant that morning.  If someone smells bad enough to be kicked off a flight, it had to have been for not bathing for at least several days.  

The problem with odor on an enclosed, moving capsule such as a plane is that it can cause nausea and vomiting, which causes more odor, and more nausea for everyone.  (Sets this particular problem apart from crying or taking too much seat space.)

As for sensitivity — there are plenty of soaps, deodorants and wipes that are unscented, hypoallergenic, etc.  If a person can afford a plane ticket and manage the logistics/planning of making a flight, they can afford and manage personal hygiene, right?

[David In Indy]

Years ago while I was riding the city bus, a man got on and sat down next to me. His body odor was so bad it was actually irritating the inside of my nose and I started to sneeze. And I remember smelling Frito's (corn chips) probably due to dirty feet. I was really REALLY glad to get off that bus.

If people are too lazy and inconsiderate to take a bath or a shower before they get on a bus or a plane, then they probably shouldn't be allowed to board. I realize there are extenuating circumstances that should be considered, but in most cases I think it is probably due to sheer laziness.

[Lynne]

Perhaps someone bought the ticket for him?  And the homeless/mentally ill don't always have easy access to facilities. Just sayin.

[delalluvia]

One person I ran into on a flight to Europe nearly knocked me down with his BO.

He was - Middle Eastern?  Indian?  Something like that - persuasion.  Nicely dressed man, very polite.  He was sitting in my seat and when I inquired, he apologized, moved to the correct seat in the row behind me.

I caught the look on the woman's face who would be forced to sit next to him on a full plane for the next 9 hours. 

I remember a story a college prof told us of a young woman from a similar locale who was a teaching assistant, hoping to teach as a profession.  Her BO was so bad in an enclosed room, her students complained to the Chair.  When he sat her down to explain, she was indignant, saying it was her cultural practice to not bathe regularly.  The man told her that if she wanted to teach in this culture, she needed to adapt otherwise she wouldn't have any students to teach.

[Lynne]

Tell you what, and I'm paraphrasing something I once read:  There are a great many things worse in this world than the odor of an unwashed man.  I can enumerate them if need be.

Edit to Add:  I'm not sure why I'm in such a serious mood; please bear with me.

I heard Barney Frank speak today about the wars and budgets and deficits.  When I've processed it a bit more, I will write a summary for my blog, but the one thing I came away with that is on my mind is that in the next day or so, we will have our 1,000th soldier die in Afghanistan.  What a waste.

 

And of course I already know that more American soldiers have died in Iraq than in the WTC bombing, never mind the Iraqi civilians massacred, government contractors, relief workers, etc etc etc

Talk about getting tiresome and I'm still completely unclear on a good reason why.

[Luvlylittlewing]

Tell you what, and I'm paraphrasing something I once read:  There are a great many things worse in this world than the odor of an unwashed man.  I can enumerate them if need be.

Edit to Add:  I'm not sure why I'm in such a serious mood; please bear with me.

I heard Barney Frank speak today about the wars and budgets and deficits.  When I've processed it a bit more, I will write a summary for my blog, but the one thing I came away with that is on my mind is that in the next day or so, we will have our 1,000th soldier die in Afghanistan.  What a waste.

 

And of course I already know that more American soldiers have died in Iraq than in the WTC bombing, never mind the Iraqi civilians massacred, government contractors, relief workers, etc etc etc

Talk about getting tiresome and I'm still completely unclear on a good reason why.

There, there, Lynn!