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Okay, so being stranded on a grounded Jet Blue flight for hours and hours on end with the airport in sight is no good. But we think the passengers of a Continental flight from Amsterdam to Newark win the "Woe in my plane ride." Because they had to endure a flight with backed-up toilets that caused sewage to seep down aisles.
Last week, passengers flying back to Newark had to stop in Shannon, Ireland because the plane's toilets weren't working. The stopover became an overnight stay, and then the passengers boarded the same plane, only for the sewage to overflow after takeoff. And then the sewage actually ran down the aisles.
One passenger, Colin Brock, took photographs as evidence of the horrible flight and said, "I've never felt so offended in all my life. I felt like i had been physically abused and neglected. I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours." He added that flight attendants told passengers not to eat or drink much, "To be told that we were supposed to monitor what comes out the other end of us was insulting. Shame on continental. It was the worst flight experience I have ever had."
Metblogger Dana Bushman described her journey on the smelly plane (she cashed in 200,000 Continental frequent flier miles for a trip for herself and her boyfriend) and added this amazing punchline: "Eight hours later, 32 hours into the whole ordeal, we are in Newark, ready for the fun of customs and immigration, and on our way out of the gate Continental issues the final slap in the face--a voucher for one free drink the next time we fly with them!"
Photograph by Colin Brock; apparently powder and paper towels were towels were used to sop waste
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A free drink?! Wow.
I expect Continental will change their tune before too long and start handing out refunds or other substantial compensation.
"a voucher for one free drink"
Unbelievable!
If they really only got one free drink for the whole ordeal, I'd raise hell.
what do i smell? a lawsuit!
I could never figure out why people need "so badly" to go to the bathroom on the plane in the first place. I've been on flights as short as 2-3 hours and it seems like people just can't wait to go to the bathroom. I can understand a 6+ hour flight or somethin, but still. Didn't anyone ever hear of taking advantage of the airport bathrooms in the first place? Also, Continental Blows. Jetblue is whipping their asses with prices. Amazing how the big monster airlines (that suck for the most part) hardly ever get bad press.
Meanwhile Jetblue strands a few people and it's all over the news that their "Rep is damaged". Please.
The culprit? Latex gloves. Those wacky terrorists will try anything!
They should change their name to....(wait for it)
Incontinental!
Thanks, I'll be here all week.
I have had horrible problems with USAirways and AA, but nothing as bad as this. I've never had a problem with Continental, but this story lowers my opinion of them considerably. The Metroblog account really sealed it for me.
I feel bad for people in these situations until they go whining to the media. "I've never been so offended in my life"? Waaaah. These people wouldn't know real suffering if it bit them on the ass.
I have a portable toilet for car camping and know how stinky crap can be and mine is only 5 gallons.
I can't imagine how disgusting an overflowing airplane toilet would be. Being stuck with human feces that's flowing down the aisle and being soaked up by the carpet then having to step on the same liquid crap mix.
Next time have some absorbent on board. or that stuff grounds crew uses to sop up a wet pitching mound.
Wow. They actually *deserve* to be sued for this.
How much does someone deserve to be compensated for something like this? Shit happens. If this thing made a jury trial I'd give them $1000 and a handshake. I'm the trial bar's worst nightmare.
I don't know what drink the girl was hoping for but the voucher was actually for $500. While I agree that this is poorly handled by Continental, I think the blogger is going a little overboard.
In situations like that, you just kind of have to suck it up and wait for reparations. Clearly, I doubt the 168 people on board (not 250) can come to an agreement as to whether to continue on to Newark or divert to another place like Shannon and wait another day. And it's not like Continental created the mess in the first place.
Moreover, how much raw sewage can there be? 168 people couldn't have all gone to the bathroom already before the overflow. God forbid if you travel to certain places in the world.
Any amount of raw sewage is too much. As another person mentioned, there were elderly people on board with compromised immune systems.
Yeah, in other parts of the world people still get malaria.
kfs writes "Moreover, how much raw sewage can there be?"
Um. ANY raw sewage that actually makes it down the aisle of a plane and closes the bathrooms for the duration of a TRANSATLANTIC flight.
And, who knows what there is in "certain places in the world", but a Continental airplane between western Europe and the USA really shouldn't have this issue.
Com'n guys what do you think as alternative? It started leaking in the middle of the air. Can they stop the flight and and unload all passengers right on Atlantic? If the situation is so bad, why the hell you sit there watching it? Can't you move out and stand somewhere else?
People are taking worse situation in many places around the world. This is not a routine thing on an aircraft. Can't you not work around in the next few hours?
I am not a Continental employee or share holder. I travel to many overseas places on long uncomfortable flights. All airlines suck. However, there is no other better way to reach places. Avoiding Continental for this crap is really unfitting. Compensation is totally different matter.
um, we live in new york.. is there a day that goes by that you dont pass a raw sewage smell?
suck it up.
... not literally though. that wouldn't be good.
What is the Airline to do while in mid-flight over the Atlantic Ocean when something like that happens due to a customer flushing latex gloves down the toilet?
Perhaps Continental should just have people stand in the bathroom and make sure no one flushing anything that's NOT supposed to be flushed. Or better yet, someone should just open the exit door and jump when this happens again.
The thing to do most likely involves treating the customers onboard to more than a free drink ticket.
First world problems...
I can't believe there's no emergency plan for a flooded toilet in an airline's procedural manual.
I think the shit hit the fan when the sewage starting going down the aisle, by then it's too late. Get the ventilation system working on full power and break out all the complimentary liquid soaps.
Better yet, just make the passengers on board as comfortable as possible. Is that so hard?
Maybe someone should threaten to open the doors, maybe that will get things done.
That voucher is $500.
shhh #23, people dont like to listen to reason here.
On the news last night, they were saying that each passenger was given a $500 voucher.
Shit happens!
They should change their name to....(wait for it)
Incontinental!
Thanks, I'll be here all week.
This made me laugh...call me corny.
But still, I thought the whole incident was terrible. I mean, 30,000+ feet up in the air and broken bathrooms. Being in a small space with leaky...my concern would be for people who could have health problems because of this. The smell of it is one thing, but to let it spread like that is disturbing, and the plane should be immediately grounded. If anything, I think they tried to empty as much sewage as possible, and believe that would solve the problem. Lazy...(-___-)
Oooh, and if the seepage went into the storing area for luggages? That wouldn't have been good...
The seepage most be worse than that liquid that leaks out of a sanitation truck.
another question, How many bathrooms are there on this plane? Only one bathroom for coach and one for first class? and the one for first class is also not operating correctly?
Does not sound good being on a plane for 8 hours with no working facilities.
I thought you guys were being insensitive, until I read the girl's blog entry, and wow is she whiny. I hardly think it's the airline's fault that there isn't enough hotel rooms available in Smallville, Ireland, and that she didn't have AC in her hotel room. The flight itself was something to complain about, but she should honestly learn to write better if she wants any sympathy.
YO this shit is FUCKED UP SON! WOrd
wow. just wow. I can't believe you folks think she should "suck it up." it sounds to me like she and her fellow passengers were treated badly from start to finish. I would love to know how you self-important folks would've reacted in her situation. Jesus Christ.
Continental should offer free round trip flights flights to any destination to all on board with no expriation limit. Its the right thing to do. Just because first world people live privileged honkey lives for the most part, doesn't mean that they should just take that shit. Its unjust for the airline to ask the paying customers to just understand that it couldn't be helped. And a $500 voucher is not much better than a drink ticket in this situation.
Contemporary Capitalism is an escalator to hell, and baby, we are on it! Shit-Schmit; I'm not whinning, I'm just sayin' what I think this is also related to.
i just love how she thinks she got treated differently because of her and her boyfriend's nose rings.
on that alone they should get nothing.
$500 voucher? tell me where can you go on that low a fare? You go on-line now and book a flight, no way are any round trips for that price on a real destination. One way maybe.
book right now, not a month, the real fare not a heavily restricted fare. The fare your travel person of your company would pay for a regular business class fare, no company discounts, book it.
"Shitty Flights", Don't ya just hate em !!! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"
I once had to endure something similar on a Pakistan International flight from Karachi to London. Guess what everyone had been eating in Karachi and guess which aeroplane system couldn't cope that flight!!!
why are people getting so upset at continental? they should have the guy who tried flushing latex gloves down the toilet to give them some compenstation.
i can't believe only 1 person here realizes what should be done: #37!
u can't blame the airline because of some moron on the flight.