Flatulence in a Plane

An American Airlines airplane was diverted when passengers reported the smell of sulphur from burning matches. Come to find out it was a woman who was lighting matches to conceal her flatulence. She has an unspecified medical condition. On a side note, there are at least 12 causes of flatulence. She had to board another plane. The BBC News web site did not mention if they took her matches away from her or not. The TSA allows you to have matches, but you cannot light them.

The woman should have acted innocent and hoped her flatulence did not smell. Sulfur smells stronger than most flatulence, and lighting matches only brought attention to the woman. She should have brought along some air freshener (although I do not know if that is banned or not on airlines) along and used that. That smells too but not as strong as sulfur.

The woman should have worried more about the sound rather than the smell. Unless she was sitting down on a sound-absorbing seat the sound would have brought more attention to her. Then again maybe the flatulence was silent--the silent ones sometimes can be deadly.

In all fairness to the woman there is not much she could have done. Although she could have gone to the plane's bathroom to let it out there. But even that would have been tricky. Definitely opening the plane's window let air the flatulence out would have been not an option.