If there’s one thing that can really gross people out, it’s when passengers take their shoes off – or worse, their shoes AND SOCKS off – while on an airplane. I mean really, PassengerShaming.com has DOZENS of entries about it!
Grossness factor notwithstanding, a foot-related issue of the stinkiest kind recently happened on a plane that was way worse than just taking your shoes off to give your toes some wiggle room.
It seems that not long ago, foot odor on a Spirit plane heading from New York to Florida was so bad that some passengers were made sick and the plane had to make an emergency landing in South Carolina.
After landing in Myrtle Beach, all 200+ passengers were asked to leave the plane so a hazmat team could board and find the source of the stink, that was described as smelling like “rancid, dirty socks,” but that others described as a pungent, burning odor.
“Real bad. You know when you burn a wire, like plastic? That kind of smell,” passenger Steven Costello told WPLG Local 10, adding that some children vomited and at least one woman fainted.
Almost a dozen passengers were taken to a local hospital to recover and, after decontamination, were later released. Meanwhile, the rest of the passengers waited on the tarmac until a new flight was found for them and they continued on to their final destination.
The source of the smell was never determined. “After specific monitoring and hazmat crews entering into the fuselage, no substances were found,” Fire Lt. Christian Sliker told WNBC.
Spirit offered the passengers a full refund, as well as future travel credits. Which, you have to admit, doesn’t stink.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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