Missing luggage, crying toddlers, or a rude seat neighbour: anyone who’s ever travelled by air probably has a horror story or two to share.
That being said, the passengers aboard a recent American Airlines flight may be able to take the cake after they were asked to relieve themselves into plastic bags and bottles mid-flight.
Video taken from inside an American Airlines flight from Phoenix, Ariz., to Kona, Hawaii, shows the moment flight attendants inform a woman that a problem with the plane’s toilet has forced them to suggest an alternative method of mid-flight bathroom break.
“What do you mean I have to pee in a bag?” the incredulous woman asks in the video.
“They’re overflowing. This one has like this much left,” a flight attendant responds. “I know, it’s horrible. And guys are going in bottles.”
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The incident occurred aboard American Airlines flight 663 Wednesday night, a flight lasting a total of six hours. The first sign that there was an issue occurred when the captain informed passengers they could no longer use the lavatories.
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“You could see the passengers looking at each other in disbelief. And they also locked two of the lavatories, as far as I can remember, so there was no access to those whatsoever,” the woman who recorded the video told 12-News in Arizona. She declined to reveal her name due to embarrassment over the incident.
“There was one lady who, unfortunately, she had a toddler that needed to use the restroom and same thing. She was told she had to use a bag,” the woman said.
The problem was later revealed to have been caused when a passenger attempted to flush a diaper down one of the plane’s toilets.
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In a statement to media, American Airlines said all procedures for this type of incident were followed in accordance with company policy.
“At American, lavatories must be working properly prior to departure. If an American flight is in the air, and all lavatories become inoperative, the flight will divert to the nearest suitable airport in order for maintenance to rectify the situation,” the statement reads.
“Due to the location of the aircraft, the flight continued to its intended destination. The issue was subsequently rectified upon arrival in Kona, and our flight returned to Phoenix as scheduled.”
American Airlines offered passengers US$240 vouchers to passengers in compensation.
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