A flight between Houston and Boston was forced to divert to Washington D.C. on Sunday after a described “biohazard” situation. The carrier claims the incident was sparked by a passenger experiencing a medical emergency. A United Airline’s cabin crew is expected to assist sick customers, but what happens when they’re the ones puking all over the aircraft?
It’s not clear exactly why multiple people started vomiting, but it quickly became clear to the pilots that they needed to get their Boeing 737-800 on the ground as soon as possible. The flight crew told air traffic control:
“I talked to the doctor and I talked to the crew, and sounds like it’s quite bad back there. It’s still really bad. The crew is vomiting and passengers all around are asking for masks.”
When the United plane landed at Dulles International Airport, the 6 crew members and 155 passengers didn’t require medical attention. It could have been a situation where one person vomited and the rancid smell provoked other people to start puking. The only necessary remedy would be fresh air and cleaning the passenger cabin. United said in a statement to Newsweek:
“Flight UA2477 from Houston to Boston was redirected to Washington-Dulles after a passenger experienced a medical emergency. The aircraft is undergoing a thorough deep clean, and we are working to get customers to Boston as soon as possible.”
Honestly, it would be a nightmare to be stuck in a metal tube soaring across the sky with nothing but the smell of vomit. Passengers aboard a Condor Airlines flight from Mauritius to Frankfurt in May didn’t have the respite on a diversion. When 70 passengers onboard began vomiting due to a stomach bug, the flight crew decided to continue to their destination. As if flying wasn’t stressful enough already?