Weather 
It was a severe case of cabin fever.
A United Airlines passenger claimed that their flight experienced a loss of cabin pressure during a cross-country flight, causing them to suffer a severe headache and partial hearing loss, per a viral Reddit post.
“This was terrifying and extremely painful as an experience,” the flyer declared while describing the “close call.”
The passenger was reportedly flying from San Antonio to Chicago earlier this week, when, within seconds, they “went from feeling completely normal” to experiencing “brain-searing pain.”
“It felt like my eyes were bulging and my eardrums were at the point of bursting,” recalled the Redditor, who quickly realized they weren’t the only one feeling cabin fever.
When the flyer looked around the cabin, they saw “other passengers holding their heads and looking around in confusion,” per the post.
Concerned over their sudden bout of cabin fever, the passenger flagged a flight attendant and pantomimed their predicament with their hands by pointing to their head.
That’s when the crew member revealed that they didn’t have “cabin pressure.”
To avoid the situation from spiraling, the captain made the decision to descend to a lower altitude, thereby negating the need for oxygen masks.
They then diverted to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to change planes before continuing on to their final destination.
While they managed to avoid disaster, the Reddit poster claimed that they are experiencing residual effects from the ill-fated flight, noting that their hearing still hasn’t “fully returned.”
United has since offered the flyer 2,500 miles as compensation, but they deemed this insufficient considering the “absolutely horrible time” they had, as well as the lasting symptoms.
The flyer should thank their lucky stars the outcome isn’t worse, given the potential catastrophic effects of depressurization. Planes cruising above 10,000 feet need to pressurize the cabin so there’s enough oxygen for everyone onboard to function, according to Popular Science.
When the cabin pressure suddenly drops, generally due to damage to the seal that keeps the cabin airtight, oxygen masks drop. This provides enough O2 for the pilots to get everyone down to 10,000 feet or below, where the air is dense enough to breathe.
As the body is really only designed to function close to sea level, a sudden pressure plunge can cause a host of symptoms. These include popped blood vessels in people’s nose and ears and even a ruptured eardrum due to the effects on the eustachian tube — the little membranous vessel that maintains ear equilibrium by stabilizing the pressure between the atmosphere and your inner ear.
Arguably, the most catastrophic effect — and the reason for the oxygen masks — is hypoxia, a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the body doesn’t get enough oxygen to the tissues.
This complication can creep up fast, impacting one’s ability to make effective decisions.
“The ability to take corrective and protective action is lost in 20 to 30 minutes at 18,000 feet and 5 to 12 minutes at 20,000 feet, followed soon thereafter by unconsciousness,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warns. Because most commercial planes fly at around 35,000 feet, that decision-making window is reduced to between 30 seconds and a minute.
During that time, sufferers can experience a drastic dip in judgment, memory, alertness, coordination and ability to make calculations,” per the FAA.
That’s why it can be catastrophic if hypoxia sets in before the pilots can figure out what’s going on.
Thankfully, most of the time, depressurization is survivable.
In 2024, the heroic actions of crew members aboard Alaska Airlines flight 1282 ensured everyone lived after a door plug panel flew off the plane at 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole that sucked objects out of the cabin.
