Air Mail: Letters From The World's Most Troublesome Passenger

by Terry Ravenscroft

Terry Ravenscroft is one of the world’s most troublesome passengers, if his letters are to be believed. But are they? He is probably the only man who has ever requested the recipe for an airline’s lasagna or wanted to enjoy his flight with an inflatable rubber woman sat on his knee. Prepare to meet the man who must have his diet of stir-fried mulberry leaves accommodated and the man who left his false teeth on a flight and is sure he recognized them on a later flight—in a flight attendant's mouth. Ravenscroft's correspondence tackles travel annoyances like excess baggage charges alongside more surreal letters, such as the one starting out asking an Australian airline if they offer an authentic Australian experience (for instance, Australian cuisine or in-flight movies) which then moves on to the question of at what age a baby is safe from being swallowed by a dingo.

Genres: Humor, Comedy, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2007

About the author

The day after I threw in my mundane factory job to become a television comedy scriptwriter I was involved in a car accident which left me unable to turn my head. Since then I have never looked back.
Before they took me away I wrote BBC television comedy scripts for Les Dawson, The Two Ronnies, Morecambe and Wise, Alas Smith and Jones, Not the Nine O’Clock News, Ken Dodd, Roy Hudd, and several others. I also wrote the award-winning BBC radio series Star Terk Two.
I started writing books when I retired from scriptwriting in 1995. Up to now I have written sixteen, all of them humour.
Born in New Mills, Derbyshire, England in 1938, I still live there with my wife Delma and my mistress Divine Bottom (in my dreams).

My book Stairlift to Heaven is an Amazon Countdown Deal at just 99cents from April 5 to April 12.
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Reviews

[JK · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible, and failed to amuse me.

Many of the letters seemed far too fantastical to believe that they had actually been sent and replied to. Ravenscroft tried too hard to be hilarious, and failed miserably to get even a tiny smile from me.

Also, I'm not sure if I'm being a bit of a prude here, but I found some of the letters to be quite racist and patronising. I understand it was all in jest, but surely there are better ways to incite laughter in someone than to mock their mistakes when using a language that isn't their mother tongue?

I had planned to read another of Ravenscroft's letter-based novels, but have decided against it. Please avoid him at all costs if you value your time.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty disappointed in this book, as I thought it would be a lot funnier :(

[Emma Boultby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Letters from the most troublesome air passanger ever.

Genuine letter from one traveler to different to different air lines, complaining about anything and everything, tiny little insignificant things all the way to something huge (in his mind anyway). You can't help but laugh at some of the things that he comes out with and cringe at the same time as how someone can actually be like this and think that they can just request freebies and compensation for no reason.

1⭐ (funny, but pathetic at the same time) brought from a charity shop and went back there too.

[Daniel-Dan-Bern-Hitch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Avoid!! Picking up in a charity shop on a whim, I must have been taken in by the potential for a light and funny read.

What started out as mildly amusing at best deteriorates into racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny…the list goes on. Tropes abound I considered giving up towards the end. Really wish I hadn’t bothered but will be glad to get rid!

[Melinda · Rating 1 out of 5]

A series of letters to airlines and travel companies complaining and commenting on ridiculous things. I can’t believe he actually sent these, which means he made them all up for the sake of humour and they’re not funny, just stupid. Skip this one.

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny and well worth the read. Just repetitive and gets boring after a while. Although I won't be reading again. Grateful to have read it.

[Cat. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Indeed, this is not someone whose signature you want to see on a letter. Dude is way annoying, but it's intentional. I'm not sure if that makes him Class-A Brilliant or just a really overpaid asshole. If I worked in the PR department of any of the airlines to whom the letters in this book are addressed, I'm pretty sure I'd vote for the latter.

Here's a question he doesn't address: how many letters did he sent that never drew a response of any kind?

I'm not sure why I finished this book, except that it was easy reading. My opinion: he's a jerk.

[Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

i received this for christmas and finished it the same day.
as a frequent flyer i understand the frustrations that were written about and thought some of the ideas were very funny.
worth a read specially if you've ever had a frustrating flight :)

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, amusing read with lots of laugh out loud moments as well as severe cringeworthy sections. I am still astounded that airlines actually took the author's complaints seriously enough to respond to him but I guess "the customer is always right", not matter how delusional and off the wall!!

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to get this book after seeing it on the internet however it was a good as i expected. It was too long and all the letters seemed to be the same so I got bored. I was also unsure if the letters were real or not?

[Sharon Jeffery · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of interesting/funny/amusing letters written to various airlines from "the world's most troublesome passenger". I enjoyed this book. It was easy to read with plenty of laugh out loud moments!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've read and enjoyed The Timewaster Letters then you will love this one. Laugh out loud all the way!

[Rashidah · Rating 3 out of 5]

lawak gile surat2 passenger nih.. so so so hillarious! hahaha

[Hil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny

[Phil]

Some very funny letters

[Katz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny in parts but became very boring, my sense of humour had got up and gone long before the end of the book.

[Oliver Southgate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is deliberately provocative in a mischievous way. A fun read.

[Sana R. Gondal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why the hell did I pay money for this. Why did I waste my life on this.

[Martin Lawlor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite funny in parts,gets a bit monotonous and repetitive towards the end,read it in 2 days,bought used from a charity shop for £2,so some good came out of it.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best IRL troll I have ever read. Hilarious.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't a bad book. But...not my type of humour

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny at times, painful at others, this book goes out of its way to insult cultures far and wide. Mildly entertaining.

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious book! I laughed so much, probably not a good one to read when others are sleeping!

[Sameh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very book

[Yashika Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every time I travel I'll think of this book.

[angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book started off ok but ran out of steam halfway through

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit I was irritating everyone by laughing at large portions of this book. The other writes letters to a number of airlines with some off the wall request or suggestion. The majority write back with a sensible reply (you have to have admiration for the coll of some in Customer Relations departments) until the last, outrageous, from Mr Ravenscroft is marked 'No reply'. Of course, taking on the might of international companies by correspondence is nothing new - it was done in the Henry Root Letters of the 1980s and early 1990s by William Donaldson. Not original, therefore, but good for an hour or so's innocent amusement

[Gabrielle Scabellone · Rating 1 out of 5]

Life's too short for books you don't enjoy. I have no guilt for skimming the last few letters in a desperate effort to move onto something new.