Between the persistent delays, the lackluster customer service, and an air traffic controller shortage, we’re far removed from the golden age of commercial aviation. Case in point: Delta Air Lines forced a pair of passengers to sit in a pair of vomit-soaked seats for a domestic flight last week. For their trouble, a man and his teenage son were compensated with two $25 vouchers. I could never imagine Pan-Am putting any of its passengers in a seat with a single stain.
The passenger, only identified as David, was the last to board the flight from Minneapolis to Denver on May 4. He and his son were seated in row 35 on the plane, and an arguable biohazard greeted them. The wet sensation and the smell made it evident that it was vomit. There were also no other options to seat them elsewhere on the aircraft. David told Newsweek when he realized it just wasn’t the seats:
“We asked for a can of ginger ale, but once we opened the tray table, it was covered in the same liquid, sticky, and a visible chunk. We again asked for wipes to clean off the tray table. We did several passes and then grabbed a stack of napkins from the service cart [and] cleaned chunks off [my son’s] shorts and shirt.”
The compensation didn’t match the magnitude of the incident
David and his son were stuck in those seats for the entire two-hour flight. The only solace he could take during the ordeal was the flight attendant having him fill out a digital Follow-Up Point of Contact form on a smartphone. He claims he didn’t complain during the flight because he just wanted to get home as soon as possible.
“We apologize to this customer for their experience,” Delta told Newsweek in a statement. “Someone from Delta’s Care team reached out to resolve this issue with the customer.”
However, the compensation Delta offered didn’t fit the magnitude of the incident. David said the pair of $25 future travel vouchers “felt like a slap in the face.”
We’ve seen before how passengers can be kicked off the plane for complaining about disgusting conditions. In 2023, a pair of passengers were kicked off an Air Canada flight for refusing to sit in vomit-covered seats. A passenger on the prior service vomited over a row of seats. The flight attendants wiped down the chairs and attempted to hide the smell with perfume and coffee grounds. The passengers argued for blankets and more cleaning supplies to do a better job themselves; instead, the pilot walked down the aisle and kicked them off the plane.