Delta flight with 281 passengers diverted to JFK after a customer medical issue said to be diarrhea
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- A Delta flight from Boston to Rome changed direction over the Atlantic Ocean.
- One Twitter account suggested it was caused by a passenger's diarrhea.
- It would be the second Delta diversion caused by diarrhea within a year.
A Delta Air Lines flight turned around after a passenger seemingly had diarrhea.
The Airbus A330 was flying from Boston to Rome last Friday but U-turned over the Atlantic Ocean about an hour into the journey, according to data from Flightradar24. The plane then landed at New York JFK Airport.
A Delta representative told Business Insider that there was a "customer medical issue en route."
The X account Only in Boston said the diversion occurred because a passenger had bouts of diarrhea in their seat.
A transatlantic Flight DL112 was headed from Boston to Rome on Saturday night, but two hours after departing, the Airbus A330 diverted back to New York City following “an onboard medical issue” involving a passenger who had severe bouts of diarrhea all over their seat. pic.twitter.com/R8poffNJtx
— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) September 3, 2024
The 281 passengers on board were transferred to another aircraft after landing at JFK, the Delta representative said.
Flightradar24 data shows the original aircraft returned to service about 20 hours after Friday's incident.
"Delta apologizes to our customers for the delay in their travels from Boston to Rome on Friday night," the spokesperson said. "We thank them for their patience as the aircraft diverted to New York-JFK before continuing to Rome early Saturday morning."
This wouldn't be the first time a Delta flight has been diverted due to a similar mishap.
A Delta Airlines Airbus A350 turned around back to Atlanta Friday night because of diarrhea throughout the airplane from a passenger and it’s a biohazard. ????????
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) September 3, 2023
The FAA flight strip for DL194 was posted to Reddit (????xStang05x) Also a passenger posted here asking why her son’s… pic.twitter.com/VWbkB47wF1
Last September, an Airbus A350 bound for Barcelona turned around two hours after departing from Atlanta. The airline said the plane had to return to be cleaned following a medical incident.
Air traffic control recordings suggested that the incident was related to diarrhea. The A350 pilots said, "We've had a passenger who's had diarrhea all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta."
A picture uploaded to the ATC subreddit appeared to show flight-progress strips implying the flight was diverted to Atlanta because of "passenger diarrhea all over a/c."
Were you on the flight from Boston to Rome? Contact this reporter at psyme@businessinsider.com