Sewage flows down aisles of trans-Atlantic flight
Jun 23, 2007, 6:51 am
#106
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: Flying Blue Gold, Air Berlin Gold, Etihad Silver (bad move)
Posts: 420
slow news day
This one just made the papers here today....
Gross...imagine having to land at SNN!
http://www.independent.ie/national-n...71-742367.html
Mid-air loo emergency forces down Continental Flight 71
A TOP US airline has been forced to apologise to passengers after their plane had to divert to Shannon Airport when toilets on board the aircraft "overflowed into the aisles".
Continental Airlines has also agreed to compensate passengers after they endured what one passenger described as the "worst flight" of his life.
The incident, which has been widely reported in the US media in recent days, occurred on June 13 last when Continental Flight 71 left Amsterdam for Newark in New Jersey. The flight, however, only got as far as Shannon because of a problem with overflowing toilets. The flight remained grounded at Shannon overnight and 168 passengers had to be accommodated in local hotels.
The following day, the flight resumed its journey after repair work carried out at Shannon appeared to solve the problem.
However, during the onward journey from Shannon to Newark, the problem developed again. Later, when the plane landed in Newark, it was discovered that the blockage was caused by someone flushing latex gloves down the toilet.
One passenger told the Seattle television station KING5 that "sewage flowed into the aisles and only one rest-room was partially working".
The passenger said flight attendants kept serving meals but told passengers not to eat much. He described it as the "worst flight of his life".
"I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours. It's a nauseating smell," the passenger said.
In a statement, the airline explained: "The lavatory repair work in Shannon indicated good flow in the lavatory system.
"During the flight from Shannon to Newark the problem developed again. In Newark it was determined that someone had flushed latex gloves into the lavatory system which caused the obstruction.
The statement went on to apologise to passengers, saying: "We deeply regret the serious inconvenience to our customers and are apologising to them and compensating them for the poor conditions on the flight as well as the diversion and delay."
While confirming that it will compensate passengers with travel vouchers, Continental declined to say how much the vouchers will be worth. One passenger said, he was offered a $500 voucher (€373).
Only this week, Continental Airlines was celebrating news that it had been ranked highest in a customer satisfaction survey for the second year running.
________________________
BTW...work in the media myself..so if any FTers want to share any experiences with an Irish connection, I'd be glad to hear them
Gross...imagine having to land at SNN!
http://www.independent.ie/national-n...71-742367.html
Mid-air loo emergency forces down Continental Flight 71
A TOP US airline has been forced to apologise to passengers after their plane had to divert to Shannon Airport when toilets on board the aircraft "overflowed into the aisles".
Continental Airlines has also agreed to compensate passengers after they endured what one passenger described as the "worst flight" of his life.
The incident, which has been widely reported in the US media in recent days, occurred on June 13 last when Continental Flight 71 left Amsterdam for Newark in New Jersey. The flight, however, only got as far as Shannon because of a problem with overflowing toilets. The flight remained grounded at Shannon overnight and 168 passengers had to be accommodated in local hotels.
The following day, the flight resumed its journey after repair work carried out at Shannon appeared to solve the problem.
However, during the onward journey from Shannon to Newark, the problem developed again. Later, when the plane landed in Newark, it was discovered that the blockage was caused by someone flushing latex gloves down the toilet.
One passenger told the Seattle television station KING5 that "sewage flowed into the aisles and only one rest-room was partially working".
The passenger said flight attendants kept serving meals but told passengers not to eat much. He described it as the "worst flight of his life".
"I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours. It's a nauseating smell," the passenger said.
In a statement, the airline explained: "The lavatory repair work in Shannon indicated good flow in the lavatory system.
"During the flight from Shannon to Newark the problem developed again. In Newark it was determined that someone had flushed latex gloves into the lavatory system which caused the obstruction.
The statement went on to apologise to passengers, saying: "We deeply regret the serious inconvenience to our customers and are apologising to them and compensating them for the poor conditions on the flight as well as the diversion and delay."
While confirming that it will compensate passengers with travel vouchers, Continental declined to say how much the vouchers will be worth. One passenger said, he was offered a $500 voucher (€373).
Only this week, Continental Airlines was celebrating news that it had been ranked highest in a customer satisfaction survey for the second year running.
________________________
BTW...work in the media myself..so if any FTers want to share any experiences with an Irish connection, I'd be glad to hear them
