What Leticia Lehman has said about Fear of flying

2 quotes · 1 episode · Jul 20, 2026

Leticia Lehman, Woman recounting being bitten by a nervous seatmate on a flight from São Paulo to Germany at age 16, has been quoted on Fear of flying 2 times in 1 episode of This American Life, most recently on July 20, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.

In their words

  • Lehman said retelling the story made her uncomfortable as listeners mocked the woman, and she came to empathize with the fear behind the bite.

    “I kept thinking like, what would it take for me to feel that scared that I would actually bite someone?”

    This American Life: 892: Trapped on a Bus (Jul 20, 2026) · Listen from 59:55

  • Lehman recounted that the flight attendant offered to have the captain turn the plane around if she reported the assault, which she declined.

    “We can call the captain and he will turn the plane around. And I just said to her, like, no, absolutely not”

    This American Life: 892: Trapped on a Bus (Jul 20, 2026) · Listen from 57:05

Episodes

  • 892: Trapped on a Bus

    This American Life · Jul 20, 2026 · 1 h 3 min

    Guest host David Kestenbaum presents stories of unwanted journeys: a runaway bus, a neighbor-spy and bipolar paranoia, Havana blackouts, the Sycamore Gap felling, and an in-flight bite.