A Delta flight from Atlanta to Barcelona was forced to make a U-turn after a passenger suffered a severe bout of diarrhea, causing what the crew deemed a “biohazard issue” on board.
This occurred Friday evening when Flight 194 was approximately two hours into its journey. The pilot radioed air traffic control and requested permission to return to Atlanta due to a passenger’s uncontrollable condition.
Inside a Delta Aircraft before a flight. Photo| iStock
In a video clip posted on X, one of the pilots can be heard explaining the situation, saying, “It’s just a biohazard issue, we had a passenger who had diarrhea all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta.”
The decision to turn back was made by the airline’s crew, as the state of the plane was deemed uninhabitable for both passengers and crew members. Images and videos of the aftermath revealed the severity of the situation, with the plane visibly soiled.
A passenger who was on the flight commented on social media, stating,
“My partner was on that flight! It was pretty bad. It was dribbled down the aisle, and smelled horrible. The vanilla-scented disinfectant used on it only made it smell like vanilla s–t. After the plane landed, it was thoroughly cleaned.”
Delta Air Lines acknowledged the incident and issued an apology to affected passengers. The airline did not provide specific details but stated,
“Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to thoroughly clean the airplane and get our customers to their final destination. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans.”
It remains unclear whether the passenger who experienced the medical emergency ultimately continued the journey to Spain after the detour.
However, not long ago, another Delta flight experienced severe turbulence, resulting in the hospitalization of 11 passengers and crew members. The turbulence occurred during a flight from Milan to Atlanta, marking yet another unexpected challenge for the airline.
Moreover, this appears not be an unusual occurrence as a flight attendant from Jetstar relived what she termed the “grossest” plane trip. Erika narrated her ordeal with a group of Australians who were travelling from Bali to Townsville.
According to Erika, the three passengers suffered from “Bali belly” which is the term given for to the bout of diarrhoea that occurred that day. Otherwise known as traveller’s diarrhoea or food poisoning, the disease is typically caused by consuming bacteria found in contaminated food and water.
Unfortunately, unlike the Delta flight, Jetsar did not have the option of turning back. The passengers had to endure completing their journey in an aircraft whose lavatory and backseats were soiled to the brim with intestinal content from the sick passengers.
“It was smeared all over the wall of the lavatory, all over the mirror and on the door… I needed to assess the situation in a fleeting thought, what was I thinking? I looked in there, I can’t un-see that stuff. The flight was packed, there was no vacant seats, I couldn’t sit them somewhere else… So that was the grossest thing I’ve ever had to endure. I felt so sorry for those three ladies. It’s not a good situation to be in… It wasn’t great for any of us.”
