A United Airlines plane is undergoing a serious deep clean after 25 passengers caught the stomach bug express.
A United Airlines flight from Vancouver was taken out of service for cleaning. This was after several passengers, previously on the same cruise, reported feeling unwell during their journey to Houston, the airline announced.
According to the Houston Fire Department, 25 passengers on Flight 1528 fell ill with nausea on Friday. These individuals were part of a larger group of 75 people who had recently returned from a cruise in Vancouver, per CNN.
United Airlines did not disclose which cruise the passengers had taken before Friday’s flight, which transported 163 passengers and six crew members.
According to Martee Black, a spokesperson for the Houston Fire Department, the travelers on the Boeing 737 Max 8 that landed in Houston shortly after 6 p.m. CT were ill “due to the cruise,” as reported by CNN.
The Houston Fire Department responded to George Bush Intercontinental Airport and evacuated three patients from the plane. However, according to Black, none required transport to the emergency room.
“United Airlines is actively coordinating with health authorities to address the situation,” the airline explained in a statement. “Ensuring the health and safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority.”
A United Airlines Passenger Recounts Being Asked If He Wanted to be Triaged Before the Deep Clean
“About an hour and a half before we hit Houston, they ask for if you’ve been on this cruise ship, could you raise your hand,” United Airlines flight 1528 passenger James Snell recalled to Houston’s KPRC 2.
All the ill passengers had previously been on a cruise. In total, 75 passengers on the plane participated in that cruise.
After disembarking, passengers underwent screening by paramedics from the Houston Fire Department.
“As soon as you got off, you got mobbed. [They wanted] to know if you had any symptoms and did you want to be triaged,” Snell explained. “But then they let us off and I thought, man, you’re letting us off in Houston airport. Like we’re going everywhere in the world.”
Flightradar24 data indicates that the aircraft resumed regular operations on June 1st as UA1751. It flew from Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) to Guatemala City La Aurora International Airport (GUA). Originally scheduled to depart at 09:37, the flight left the Texan airport at 10:14. It touched down in Guatemala at 12:00, arriving 33 minutes later than its scheduled time of 11:27.