Top 10 Airport Moments From ‘Friends’

For 10 years, “Friends” captured our hearts with its storylines, characters, laughs, romances and its actors. I might be a little biased, because I love - and still love - the show, but I consider it one of the best comedies. There’s so much to say about the series, but one thing that came to my mind was its airport scenes. So many great moments occurred at the airport, or on an airplane. With that said, here are the top 10 airport moments.

10. Ross Says Goodbye to Marcel

Season 1, Episode 21: The One with the Fake Monica
What Happened: In this episode, Ross (David Schwimmer) has to get rid of his monkey, Marcel. After Marcel reaches sexual maturity - and humps everything in sight - Ross decides to send his pet off to a zoo. He submits several applications, and luckily Marcel gets into the San Diego Zoo. Ross and his friends, minus Monica (Courteney Cox), all go to the airport for Marcel’s sendoff.

9. Chandler “Moves” to Yemen

Season 4, Episode 15: The One with All the Rugby
What Happened: Chandler (Matthew Perry) runs into his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Janice (Maggie Wheeler), while at the nail salon with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). He gets sucked back into a relationship, and soon decides he can’t stand her. Instead of breaking things off, Chandler tells Janice he’s moving to Yemen for work. She sees him off at the airport, and won’t leave until the plane leaves. Unfortunately, Chandler has to buy a real ticket to Yemen, and eventually boards.

8. Rachel Goes on Ross’s Honeymoon

Season 5, Episode 1: The One After Ross Says Rachel
What Happened: Ross is always making huge messes. This time around, he says Rachel’s name, rather than his future wife’s name aka Emily, at the wedding. After a terrible ceremony, and an even more horrible reception, Emily runs away leaving Ross waiting at the airport hoping she’ll show up for their honeymoon to Athens. Rachel is also waiting for a flight home, and Ross decides they should go to Athens together. Rachel agrees, but before Ross can get on the plane Emily shows up, meaning Rachel goes on the “honeymoon” by herself.

7. Monica and Chandler Go on Their Honeymoon

Season 8, Episode 3: The One Where Rachel Tells...
What Happened: Finally, Monica and Chandler get married! While checking in for their honeymoon, Monica cannot let go of her competitiveness. She sees newlyweds getting special treatment, and wants the same for herself. However, the flight attendant gives away the last first class spot, leaving the Bing’s in last place, according to Monica. She and Chandler try to sneak into the first class lounge; steal some oranges; and get into a fight with the same newlywed couple at their hotel, who end up getting upgraded to the honeymoon suite. As they tell the couple, “We need the stuff!”

6. Joey “Tells” Ross about Rachel

Season 10, Episode 1: The One After Joey and Rachel Kiss
What Happened: This was not a favorite episode for Ross and Rachel fans. Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel end up kissing on the gang’s trip in Barbados, and want to start dating; however, not before they clear it with Ross. Joey tries to tell Ross on the plane ride home, but can’t make himself do it. They eventually tell Ross, and it doesn’t go over too well, even though he repeatedly says, “I’m fine!”

5. Ross Pranks Rachel, Rachel Pranks Ross

Season 5, Episode 24: The One in Vegas: Part 2
What Happened: Ross and Rachel take a later flight to Vegas than everyone else, and it’s quite an amusing one. The entire episode consists of them pranking and embarrassing one another. During the flight, Rachel makes it look like Ross wet his pants; Ross “turns down” sex from Rachel by announcing it to the entire flight; and Ross ends up drawing a mustache, with permanent ink, on Rachel’s face. After they land, Rachel is extremely angry. They end up getting extremely wasted, and Rachel gets her revenge by drawing on Ross’s face.

4. Monica and Chandler Try to Join the Mile High Club

Season 5, Episode 1: The One After Ross Says Rachel
What Happened: In London, where Ross’s wedding takes place, Chandler and Monica start hooking up. They decided sex was just a London thing, and they won’t do it anymore once back home. On their way back to New York City, the two decide they’re still over international waters and try to have sex on the airplane. Unknowingly, Joey interferes, and the plan falls through.

3. Rachel Goes to London

Season 4, Episode 24: The One with Ross’s Wedding: Part 2
What Happened: At the end of Season 4, Rachel soon realizes she’s still in love with Ross, but he’s engaged to Emily. The gang, minus Rachel and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) who is pregnant, head to London for the big day. At the last minute, Rachel decides to go to London to stop the wedding and tell Ross she loves him. After a big fiasco of forgetting her passport, she finally gets on the plane and sits next to none other than Hugh Laurie.

2. Ross Goes to Rachel

Season 10, Episode 20: The Last One: Part 2
What Happened: In the very last episode of the series, Ross realizes he’s in love with Rachel and doesn’t want her to move to Paris. He and Phoebe head to the airport to stop her. They eventually find her, after going to the wrong airport, but Rachel gets on the plane anyway. Of course, she gets off and goes straight to Ross’s apartment, where they live happily ever after.

1. Rachel Goes to Ross

Season 1, Episode 24: The One Where Rachel Finds Out
What Happened: This is where it all started - the Ross and Rachel romance. Rachel finds out from Chandler that Ross is in love with her. After some thinking, she decides a relationship with Ross would be great. She heads to the airport with flowers to welcome him home from China. Unfortunately, Ross shows up with his new girlfriend Julie. Eventually, the two breakup leading to the official first kiss of Ross and Rachel. The rest is really history.

What are some of your other favorite “Friends” moments?