Not the flying experience they had in mind.
A routine Air Canada trip turned into the flight from hell after a severe patch of turbulence caused both passengers and food to go flying — with the latter splattering across the ceiling.
A fly-witness photographed the “aftermath” of the terrifying incident and uploaded the pics to a Reddit post that’s taking off online.
The mishap occurred aboard AC19 from Vancouver to Singapore after the aircraft hit “some major bumps” about two hours into the transoceanic trip, per the post.
The turbulence, which reportedly lasted for several minutes, was so severe that “everything went flying (including a few people!)” wrote the passenger.
Accompanying pics showed food, trays and utensils strewn across the aisle and splotches of sauce and other foodstuffs splattered on the ceiling like a Jackson Pollock painting.
Thankfully no one was injured during these bumps in the flight path, per the post.
The poster also lauded the flight staffers for acting admirably in the aftermath of the ordeal.
“The crew came through with garbage bags and trolleys to clean as much as possible,” they wrote. “Everyone helped out and it was kind of sweet to see [passengers and flight attendants] taking care of each other. Somehow they righted a trolley that was on its side in the rear galley (those things are heavy).”
Crew members also “handed out extra tablecloths from [business class]” to coach passengers whose seats had been soaked by drink spills during the turbulence.
“Kudos to the crew for keeping everyone under control, and don’t forget to wear your seatbelt!!” praised the Redditor.
Other passengers also shared their experiences aboard the tumultuous plane trip.
“I was on this flight, too!!! I was terrified, never had turbulence like that before,” said one. “Really made me realize how helpless you are on a plane.”
“It felt like one of those roller coasters where you have several seconds of weightlessness,” recalled another. “And the cabin was full of floating food! I had coffee dripping on me from the ceiling and was picking rice out of my hair afterwards.”
This is one of many severe instances of turbulence recently. In August, 12 passengers were injured after a Korean Air flight hit a patch so bad that both food and flyers went airborne.
In May, a 73-year-old British grandfather was killed and more than 30 others were injured after a Singapore Airlines Boeing flight plunged 6,000 feet and sent unrestrained travelers crashing into overhead bins.
Unfortunately, turbulence appears to be getting worse with the total annual duration of mid-air rockiness increasing by 55% between 1979 and 2020.
Experts have attributed the uptick to increased “wind shear” — the change in wind speed and direction over a short distance — fomented by climate change.