Set your story in an airport where all flights have been canceled and all the passengers and crew members are stranded.

Posted in Dramatic on Aug 23, 2024

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✍️ 40 stories

“Beyond Herself” by Joseph A. O'Brien

Submitted to Contest #265

She didn’t know whether to be privileged or embarrassed as the usual scenes of airport activity passed her by: People arranging flights, suitcases rolling by, passengers waiting to board, busy airline desk lines, and crowded food courts. Unlike everyone else, she perceived all this from the seat of a moving courtesy shuttle until the aroma of coffee shifted her attention to the café now almost out of walking distance. She had the shuttle driver stop and thanked him. He offered to help her with her carry-on but she politely declined and ...

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“Wait ” by Valeria Vasquez

Submitted to Contest #265

Like most dreadful headaches, It started in an airport. A hectic, crowded to the brim airport, where no one seemed happy and everyone shared the same pessimist thoughts. Chicago International on a freezing December night. December 23rd, to be exact, on the mere cusp of Christmas. Now, the question, of course, is, who in their right mind travels during the holidays? The desperate. Most of the mentally ill—some genuinely psychotic people, I’d say. Me, on the other hand, am traveling for the purpose of work. I’m not going home for the hol...

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“Flight Y2K” by Lisa Mansell

Submitted to Contest #265

1903 was a significant year. The airplane was invented by the Wright Brothers. At the time they were a spectacle, but after many improvements and a better understanding of physics, plane designs have drastically improved in the last 90 years. They are considered so normal, that even small prototypes and toys are mass-produced for children’s enjoyment. Adolescents are easily distracted. Probably why parents are constantly shoving playthings in their faces. A prime example of this is my 9-year-old brother, Cody, who is currently pestering me w...

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“Stranded” by Regina Arnold

Submitted to Contest #265

STRANDED So, there I was, stuck at the airport in New Orleans with thousands of other people, all of us trying to get home or to our next destination, but the weather had other plans. A massive rain storm powered by high winds was on a slow roll from one end of Louisiana to the other, causing all flights to be canceled indefinitely. The airport was in chaos, with passengers and crew members milling about, trying to figure out what to do next. I decided to strike up a conversation with one of the flight attendants...

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“Grounded” by Derrek Carman

Submitted to Contest #265

Hour 4About four hours ago the airport canceled our flight and now, my sister, mother, father, other passengers, the crew, and myself have all been stranded here on the plane. Hour 7They still haven't told us why the flight was canceled, they just said to stay put. They do let us walk around and stretch our legs but there really isn’t a lot of room to do things. The aisle is only so wide and the bathroom is small. Hour 11I have taken two naps but the kid behind me likes to kick my seat and wake me up from my nap. My dad tells me they ha...

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“Snowpocalypse” by Miles-Erik Bell

Submitted to Contest #265

Snowpocalypse There was nothing to do. “We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused our travelers. Please visit the help kiosk for a complementary meal voucher as we work to rectify the problem.” “How could one of the worlds largest airports, Heathrow, be completely unprepared for two inches of snow the day before Christmas?” I wondered. Nonetheless, all I had was Euros which would be useless to me in America, so I decided to try and rid myself of the clanky coins by finding a bookstore. I had already ruled out grabbing the mea...

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“When Heathrow Closed” by Fran Hirschel

Submitted to Contest #265

This story makes reference to pregnancy out of wedlock and substance abuse. When Heathrow Closed Jenny was returning home from her European vacation. She had spent three weeks visiting the cities she’d heard about all her life, and it had been exhilarating. Her traveling companion, Liz, was staying on in London to spend a semester studying. Looking forward to seeing her parents, she was dismayed that the departures board at Heathrow kept reporting that her flight was delayed. She was concerned that she might not be home t...

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“The Descent” by Lana Johnson

Submitted to Contest #265

The descent–arguably the most intimidating part of the journey. An aircraft taking off can be nerve wracking, definitely, but to me, descent releases cages of butterflies. I become a pavilion of them you can find at a zoo. Take off is the start of a roller coaster, but landing is the drop of that roller coaster. The anticipation builds as you climb and it has ample time to build to its peak before the descent down to the ground. Not to mention, my take off was in the dry land of Nevada. Sure, there was snow. It was Christmas time, but ...

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“Irony” by Elliot Hall

Submitted to Contest #265

The shuffling of tickets and the rattling of wheezing old wheels clogged my head. It was nearly five in the afternoon now. My flight had been set to board at four, but hadn’t arrived. The cerulean sky outside the large glass windows eliminated the idea of a weather intervention. It was a puzzling case, for certain. Perhaps technology issues, or a sick pilot. A slideshow of all the terrible things that could have happened played behind my eyelids as I sunk deeper into my seat. An aircraft taken over by government agents to transport the presi...

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“Crash: From the Wreckage.” by Clay Hatton

Submitted to Contest #265

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a faint orange glow, chaos erupted around gate number eight. Frantic silhouettes darted wildly, their shadows dancing on the walls like dark specters. I stood frozen, my mind reeling from the explosions that had plunged the airport into darkness. A man, clutching his wailing child, nearly collided with me as he sprinted toward the front of the airport, his face etched with terror. What had just happened? Was it a bomb, an EMP, or something worse? A million questions swirled in my mind, but the sho...

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Set your story in an airport where all flights have been canceled and all the passengers and crew members are stranded.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 40 stories

“Beyond Herself” by Joseph A. O'Brien

“Wait ” by Valeria Vasquez

“Flight Y2K” by Lisa Mansell

“Stranded” by Regina Arnold

“Grounded” by Derrek Carman

“Snowpocalypse” by Miles-Erik Bell

“When Heathrow Closed” by Fran Hirschel

“The Descent” by Lana Johnson

“Irony” by Elliot Hall

“Crash: From the Wreckage.” by Clay Hatton

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who’s traveling to a place they’ve never been to meet someone they’ve never met.

Write about someone’s journey to retrieve an important object that’s been out of their possession for a long time.

Write about someone who’s traveling away from their hometown for the first time.

Follow a group of strangers touring a city on some kind of vehicle — a bus, a duck tour boat, a party bike… anything that transports passengers!

Contest #265

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

255

Contest entries

110

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: