Marie Beals-Basinger described a recent flight ordeal to the Daily Mail: “I truly hope nobody else has to experience what we went through.” The flight en route to Barcelona from Atlanta was rerouted back after only two hours of its scheduled eight-hour journey.
Commenting on a fellow passenger’s unfortunate situation, Beals-Basinger expressed her sympathy, “I truly hope the affected passenger recovers swiftly.”
Reports indicate that the pilot of Flight DL194 had alerted air traffic control to a “biohazard concern” due to a passenger who suffered from severe diarrhea. One eyewitness tweeted, “It was spread across the aisle and had an unbearable smell.” Another passenger, Dee W., remarked on a platform named X (previously Twitter),
“The situation was terrible. Even the vanilla disinfectant made it smell worse.” Dee W. also noted that when the plane landed, emergency services took care of the affected passenger, and the aircraft underwent intensive cleaning, lasting till the early morning hours.
John Hudt, another passenger, commented on the chaotic situation but applauded the crew’s decision to return. While the plane was grounded, the carpet affected was promptly replaced. Hudt commended the efforts of the crew and the ground staff in managing the situation.
Subsequently, the cleaned plane resumed its journey, and the passengers of Flight DL194 arrived in Barcelona by 5:10 p.m. the next day.
Although Beals-Basinger was seated in the first class and was distant from the incident, she recalled seeing Delta crew members in protective gear. She and her husband were anxious about missing their cruise, but after hours of waiting, they reboarded the plane. She praised Delta for its efficient communication during the ordeal. They were relieved to find their Celebrity Reflection cruise ship still docked upon their late arrival.
Xansby Swanson, whose younger brother was on the flight, shared a video about the incident. He amusingly recounted his brother’s hilarious take on the whole episode.
The airline released a statement expressing their apologies for the inconvenience caused and highlighted their commitment to ensuring the well-being and safety of their passengers.
