"Maryland Family claims UA made them sit in vomit on flight" or fly next day/flight
Apr 16, 2015, 2:48 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA MM Plat; AA MM Gold; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 15,866
They always seem to be there when I scrounge around in the seatback pockets looking for spare change.
Last edited by goalie; Apr 16, 2015 at 4:20 pm Reason: edited quoted post to match edited original post
Apr 16, 2015, 3:00 pm
#17
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,556
A technical question, please. How does one vomit while sitting in their seat, and the vomit ends up on the seat? While I have never had the misfortune of getting airsick, I have on occasion (in my younger days, of course 
) had the opportunity to pray to the porcelain God. When no such receptacle was immediately available, my donation would end up on the floor in front of me, or if it was a projectile event (the usual case) it would have ended up well forward of my position. At one infamous event, in the shoes of several classmates at a high school sock hop. Which, after over 40 years, some people are still upset about. Go figure. 
The only explanation I can come up with is that the ill passenger had a empty seat next to him/her, and made the deposit accordingly.
A rather rude act, don't you think?
) had the opportunity to pray to the porcelain God. When no such receptacle was immediately available, my donation would end up on the floor in front of me, or if it was a projectile event (the usual case) it would have ended up well forward of my position. At one infamous event, in the shoes of several classmates at a high school sock hop. Which, after over 40 years, some people are still upset about. Go figure. The only explanation I can come up with is that the ill passenger had a empty seat next to him/her, and made the deposit accordingly.
A rather rude act, don't you think?
Apr 16, 2015, 3:08 pm
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA MM Plat; AA MM Gold; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 15,866
A technical question, please. How does one vomit while sitting in their seat, and the vomit ends up on the seat? While I have never had the misfortune of getting airsick, I have on occasion (in my younger days, of course ) had the opportunity to pray to the porcelain God. When no such receptacle was immediately available, my donation would end up on the floor in front of me, or if it was a projectile event (the usual case) it would have ended up well forward of my position. At one infamous event, in the shoes of several classmates at a high school sock hop. Which, after over 40 years, some people are still upset about. Go figure.
The only explanation I can come up with is that the ill passenger had a empty seat next to him/her, and made the deposit accordingly.
A rather rude act, don't you think?
) had the opportunity to pray to the porcelain God. When no such receptacle was immediately available, my donation would end up on the floor in front of me, or if it was a projectile event (the usual case) it would have ended up well forward of my position. At one infamous event, in the shoes of several classmates at a high school sock hop. Which, after over 40 years, some people are still upset about. Go figure. The only explanation I can come up with is that the ill passenger had a empty seat next to him/her, and made the deposit accordingly.
A rather rude act, don't you think?
...when they started to store their bags underneath the seats. Shirley and his wife noticed their bags were wet. When his wife investigated further she discovered vomit....
Apr 16, 2015, 3:12 pm
#19
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Newport Coast, CA
Posts: 498
There was vomit on a seat of a plane about to depart with passengers.
Nothing that came after that could mitigate the enormous failure of United in allowing that to happen. At that point a cleaning was not only the only real option, but possibly the only LEGAL option, as vomit is in many cases considered a bio-hazard, and allowing the plane to board passengers in such a condition possibly a violation of law. The fact that United allowed the plane to fly should open them up to possible litigation from ALL passengers, not just those in the immediate area.
Nothing that came after that could mitigate the enormous failure of United in allowing that to happen. At that point a cleaning was not only the only real option, but possibly the only LEGAL option, as vomit is in many cases considered a bio-hazard, and allowing the plane to board passengers in such a condition possibly a violation of law. The fact that United allowed the plane to fly should open them up to possible litigation from ALL passengers, not just those in the immediate area.
Apr 16, 2015, 3:14 pm
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA MM Plat; AA MM Gold; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 15,866
Apr 16, 2015, 3:29 pm
#22
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: DCA, ex-IAH
Programs: nada
Posts: 1,368
Pardon me, but I guess I should have said: "Good heavens people...doesn't anyone post accurate descriptions of reports in order to accurately convey what really happened???"
Edit: it also looks like they were on a night/evening flight (perhaps the last of the day?) and refused an option that was the next calendar day. Despite someone early in the thread's assumption in stating it was "the next day's flight" we really don't know the story behind it. Considering we're talking MCO which gets a few flights a day I'd bet it was last flight to first flight which is going to be the best any airline could offer if the flight was full.
Last edited by crnk; Apr 16, 2015 at 3:36 pm
Apr 16, 2015, 3:35 pm
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA MM Plat; AA MM Gold; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 15,866
Ok...off to check out our spring snow here in the Denver area. Yahoo.
Apr 16, 2015, 3:39 pm
#24
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott/SPG/Hilton Gold, PreCheck + Clear
Posts: 2,306
Nothing that came after that could mitigate the enormous failure of United in allowing that to happen. At that point a cleaning was not only the only real option, but possibly the only LEGAL option, as vomit is in many cases considered a bio-hazard, and allowing the plane to board passengers in such a condition possibly a violation of law. The fact that United allowed the plane to fly should open them up to possible litigation from ALL passengers, not just those in the immediate area.
Apr 16, 2015, 3:50 pm
#25
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 43
Initially thought this was post concerning my flight from CMH to ORD on Tuesday night. Family of 5 boarded and one of the middle children tossed cookies all over himself, his Dad and apparently the seats during boarding. Family was offloaded, cleaning crew came on and cleaned and we were a few minutes delayed getting out of the gate.
I am not sure how sick the kid was but I was surprised they didn't change clothes and re-board not sure if they were kicked off or just voluntarily took another flight.
I am not sure how sick the kid was but I was surprised they didn't change clothes and re-board not sure if they were kicked off or just voluntarily took another flight.
Apr 16, 2015, 4:04 pm
#26
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: gggrrrovvveee (ORD)
Programs: UA Pt, Marriott Ti, Hertz PC
Posts: 6,091
I had the same interpretation, that the headline was exaggerated and that the vomit was under the seat.
If that is the case, it may not have been apparent to the cleaning crew that there was vomit under there. They may have just looked under the seats for detritus, and the "vomit" could have just looked like a wet spot from a spill or a dark stain, if anything.
Just defending the cleaning crew
If that is the case, it may not have been apparent to the cleaning crew that there was vomit under there. They may have just looked under the seats for detritus, and the "vomit" could have just looked like a wet spot from a spill or a dark stain, if anything.
Just defending the cleaning crew
Apr 16, 2015, 4:09 pm
#27
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Newport Coast, CA
Posts: 498
Right. It is the passengers fault for expecting a clean plane. How incredibly selfish and self-centered of them! Don't they know that United is too busy trying to come up with new ways of screwing customers to actually clean their planes?!?
Vomit on the plane. United's fault. PERIOD.
Apr 16, 2015, 4:13 pm
#28
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,446
it also looks like they were on a night/evening flight (perhaps the last of the day?) and refused an option that was the next calendar day. Despite someone early in the thread's assumption in stating it was "the next day's flight" we really don't know the story behind it. Considering we're talking MCO which gets a few flights a day I'd bet it was last flight to first flight which is going to be the best any airline could offer if the flight was full.
I don't know about any of you, but I don't want to fly in a puke-craft.
Apr 16, 2015, 4:39 pm
#29
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NRT/HND, IWK, SAT, BWI, NAP, OKA, AUS, DEN, COS and PUB
Programs: UA 1K.. 1MM
Posts: 994
I am on the fence with this one.
If there's clearly a puddle of vomit on a plane, it needs to be dealt with during cleaning. The fact that it wasn't noticed by the cleaners, the flight crew once boarding, or the passengers until noticing that their bag was damp.... I dunno, that seems to indicate to me that the pool of vomit was perhaps not what the mind and article suggest that it was.
I was on a UA flight two years ago where a young boy failed to make it to the lav before vomiting in the aisle (he apparently forgot about airsickness bags) (and we were taxiing.. like final turn onto active for takeoff taxiing). He was actually facing me approximately .43 seconds prior to letting it go. There's no way to not know. The entire plane smelled like vomit.. even after the FAs covered it in ground coffee, some powder from a kit, swept up the absorbed chunks, put more coffee and powder down, and covered in blankets. Having experienced that, I find it very difficult to believe that there existed a puddle of vomit on a plane without anyone noticing until feeling something damp.
To me, this suggests that the puddle had been cleaned, and the residual dampness still had some sort of vomity stench to it when you smelled a damp finger.. or that it was a very small puddle that was mostly water.. probably from a small animal or child.
Had someone discovered it during pre-board, then yea, it should have been handled.. but once boarding has commenced, there's a whole new level of logistical stuff that, feelings about vomit aside, are part of the equation. Given that it's lack of discovery would imply everyone else on the plane was unaffected, simply calling the seats with the vomit disabled and alerting the cleaners of the arrival airport would have been my suggestion... Choosing to fly in a seat like that then becomes the decision of the passenger. That said, I think some minor compensation should have been considered, as clearly, that's not the best of travel experiences.. but still, I think deplaning for the hour it would have taken to deal with what seems (to me) to be a relatively small thing is unwarranted.
If there's clearly a puddle of vomit on a plane, it needs to be dealt with during cleaning. The fact that it wasn't noticed by the cleaners, the flight crew once boarding, or the passengers until noticing that their bag was damp.... I dunno, that seems to indicate to me that the pool of vomit was perhaps not what the mind and article suggest that it was.
I was on a UA flight two years ago where a young boy failed to make it to the lav before vomiting in the aisle (he apparently forgot about airsickness bags) (and we were taxiing.. like final turn onto active for takeoff taxiing). He was actually facing me approximately .43 seconds prior to letting it go. There's no way to not know. The entire plane smelled like vomit.. even after the FAs covered it in ground coffee, some powder from a kit, swept up the absorbed chunks, put more coffee and powder down, and covered in blankets. Having experienced that, I find it very difficult to believe that there existed a puddle of vomit on a plane without anyone noticing until feeling something damp.
To me, this suggests that the puddle had been cleaned, and the residual dampness still had some sort of vomity stench to it when you smelled a damp finger.. or that it was a very small puddle that was mostly water.. probably from a small animal or child.
Had someone discovered it during pre-board, then yea, it should have been handled.. but once boarding has commenced, there's a whole new level of logistical stuff that, feelings about vomit aside, are part of the equation. Given that it's lack of discovery would imply everyone else on the plane was unaffected, simply calling the seats with the vomit disabled and alerting the cleaners of the arrival airport would have been my suggestion... Choosing to fly in a seat like that then becomes the decision of the passenger. That said, I think some minor compensation should have been considered, as clearly, that's not the best of travel experiences.. but still, I think deplaning for the hour it would have taken to deal with what seems (to me) to be a relatively small thing is unwarranted.
Apr 16, 2015, 4:49 pm
#30
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,377
Pilot is in command,
A little vomit under a seat is no disaster, I have seen people who body odor far worse,
Spray some disinfectant and move on...did you notice they cried about their damaged bags also....
Lets turn the plane around, I think someone took a crap...smells like s--t..
Good for the crew, they got an on time departure.
A little vomit under a seat is no disaster, I have seen people who body odor far worse,
Spray some disinfectant and move on...did you notice they cried about their damaged bags also....
Lets turn the plane around, I think someone took a crap...smells like s--t..
Good for the crew, they got an on time departure.