Breaking Down the Craziest Travel Stories of 2019

2019 was a crazy year for a lot of things and that includes travel. There were plenty of naughty passengers on display this year but the list of madness certainly wasn't limited to disruptive air travelers. More than one study produced eye-popping results and thousands of travelers were left stranded when companies unexpectedly collapsed. Here are some of the craziest travel stories of the past year.

It's certainly not uncommon to forget something important when traveling. However, one woman made headlines in March when she forgot her baby in the boarding area of King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, prompting the flight, which had already taken off, to turn around and return to the gate.

Thousands of travelers were left in limbo this past spring when low-cost Icelandic carrier WOW air canceled all flights and ceased operations after failing to reach an agreement with investors. Fortunately, some airlines offered special rescue fares for affected customers.

In May, a Japanese man died aboard a flight from Mexico City to Tokyo after ingesting 246 bags of cocaine. The man began having seizures shortly after takeoff, prompting an emergency landing in Mexico.

In a hilarious video that went viral this past June, a four-year-old boy spoke for all of us when he called out a fellow passenger for putting her bare "stinky" feet on his armrest. Let it be a reminder to never remove your footwear on an airplane.

One of the year's craziest travel stories was also one of the most terrifying as extreme in-flight turbulence rattled passengers and even sent an unsecured flight attendant and her beverage cart flying into the air and up into the ceiling aboard an ALK Airlines flight.

Riot police clashed with anti-government protesters at Hong Kong International Airport over the summer, forcing multiple days of flight cancellations. The protests also led the U.S. State Department to update its travel advisory for the region.

Hundreds of thousands of travelers were left stranded when the world's oldest travel company, Thomas Cook, collapsed in September. The U.K.-based company said that it had no other choice but to enter into compulsory liquidation immediately after talks on a financial rescue failed.

Months after the troubled Boeing 737 MAX was grounded on the heels of two crashes that killed a combined 346 people, federal investigators working the case found that several of the safety inspectors who developed the pilot-training standards for the FAA were unqualified. Investigators determined that 16 of the 22 inspectors interviewed did not finish their formal training and that 11 of those 16 also lacked the required flight-instructor license.

In a landmark decision this past September, Saudi Arabia announced plans to open its doors to international visitors for the first time as part of the nation's Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil. The move is expected to result in 100 million international and domestic visits a year by 2030.

Airbus recently began testing new technology on one of its A350-900 wide-body planes to learn how multiple sensors throughout the cabin can help track passenger behavior and consumption. The technology, which includes a camera outside the bathroom, aims to collect data and keep cabin crew better informed.

Marilyn Hartman, also known as the "Serial Stowaway" for her continual attempts to board planes without a ticket, was arrested yet again this October after attempting to get past security at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport without a boarding pass or identification. The 67-year-old was already on probation for a prior incident related to trespassing.

Paralympic bronze medalist and climate change activist James Brown disrupted a British Airways flight at London City Aiport after climbing on top of the aircraft as part of the Extinction Rebellion protests in October.

Just days after opening, the Disney Skyliner at Walt Disney World in Orlando was forced to close for a week due to a malfunction that resulted in several passengers being stuck in their gondolas for hours. The transportation system eventually reopened to the public.

Just two days before Halloween, TSA officers at Newark Liberty International Airport confiscated a traveler's bag after discovering what appeared to be a firearm. However, the item in question turned out to be a handgun-shaped toilet paper roller.

The 2019 Airline Water Study released by DietDetective.com and the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center this fall revealed some troubling results, including that some in-flight water is too unhealthy even for washing your hands.