https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/spirit-airlines-flight-evacuated-as-fumes-leave-passengers-dizzy-nauseous/ar-AAB8dzL?li=BBnbklEEight people were hospitalized yesterday after a flight departing from Las Vegas was forced to halt operations as fumes filled the cabin, airline officials said.
Spirit Airlines Flight 170 was scheduled to take off from McCarran International Airport and fly to Minneapolis St. Paul International but turned around before departure at approximately 8:30 a.m., the Las Vegas Sun reported, citing airport spokeswoman Christine Crews.rews said that one passenger, one medical first responder and six airline crew members had been sent to local hospitals. There were 174 passengers and seven crew members on the Spirit Airlines flight, officials said.
The medic’s problem was believed to be unrelated to the smell on the plane, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing Spirit Airlines spokesperson Derek Dombrowski.
It remains unclear what caused the fumes, but the budget airline said in a statement yesterday that the smell had resembled oil. The aircraft was taken out of service to be checked.
One passenger, Michael Hardin, told Fox 5 Vegas the smell was like really bad “wet socks.” He stated: “One lady actually just sprinted to the back of the plane and were like ‘oh, this is not good.’ One of the crew members, we found out she was just throwing up everywhere.” He said some passengers—including people close to him—had been left feeling “dizzy and nauseous.”
In a statement, a representative for Spirit Airlines stressed the importance of customer safety and said compensation had been—or would be—provided to those impacted in the delays.
“Shortly after closing the boarding door on Spirit flight 170 with intended service from Las Vegas to Minneapolis, a smell resembling oil presented onboard,” it said.
“The door was immediately opened and our guests and crew exited the aircraft. EMS assessed guests at the gate, and one guest elected to be transported to the hospital as a precaution.
It continued: “The aircraft in question has been taken out of service while our maintenance team inspects it. Safety is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience.
“We are currently working to accommodate our guests on other flights. Spirit is providing meal vouchers, full refunds, and future travel vouchers for the inconvenience.”
According to KTNV, the incident was the third time in roughly three weeks when bad odor had disrupted a Spirit Airlines flight. In one case last week, an impacted flight was forced to turn around shortly after taking off. In another, approximately two weeks ago, a journey from Baltimore heading to Fort Lauderdale was grounded because of a mysterious odor. In the second case, seven members of the airline crew were taken to hospital, the publication reported.
It was not immediately clear if each incident involved the same type of aircraft, an Airbus A321. FlightStats, a website that tracks aircraft performance and journeys, said Spirit Airlines 170 later took off from McCarran to St. Paul International at 7:42 p.m., landing without further issues.
