06 September 2023 , 12:43
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Delta has been named the top domestic airline in the US despite a recent incident which saw a plane turn around after a passenger suffered a horrific bout of diarrhoea.
Luggage storage company Bounce compared a whole host of US airlines to determine which is the best to fly with domestically. They considered a number of factors for their rankings, which saw Delta come out on top.
However, just recently one of the airline's flights travelling from Atlanta, Georgia, to Barcelona had to turn back just two hours into the eight-hour flight after a passenger suffered diarrhoea "all through the plane". Flight DL194 made an audio transmission, shared to X, formerly Twitter, by an aviation enthusiast saying they had a "biohazard issue".
Paper towels were put down in an attempt to disguise the excrement (Twitter/DramaAlert)
Nearby passengers evacuated the area (Twitter/DramaAlert)Grim images have been shared online that show paper towels lining the aisles in an attempt to cover up the excrement that had "dribbled down the aisles". When the plane returned to Atlanta, ground crews spent five hours thoroughly cleaning the plane and even ripped up the carpet after it had been contaminated with the waste.
Bounce considered a range of different factors:
- on-time arrivals
- cancellations
- flights
- meal score
- in-flight entertainment score
- seat comfort score
- staff service score
- free carry-on allowance
- free checked domestic allowance
- free checked international allowance
- airline score
In total, Delta scored 6.05, putting it at the top of the rankings. Delta recorded the highest percentage of on-time arrivals, with 81.2 per cent while also recording one of the lowest cancellation rates at 1.96 per cent.
Red Arrow pilot forced to send out emergency alert after bird smashes into jet
Delta scored highly in a number of categories including the in-flight experience (Getty Images)When it came to the in-flight experience, Delta also came out on top. It scored a three out of five for in-flight entertainment, meals, seat comfort, and staff service.
Despite needing a five-hour deep clean when they touched down, passengers on board said the plane was even cleaner when they got back on board. John Hurdt took to social media to share his experience of the flight.
He wrote: "Both my wife and I were on the flight. It was a mess. The pilots made the right decision to turn around. The ground crew ripped out the carpet and put new in. Considering the circumstances, the ground crew did a great job, along [with] the attendants and the pilots."
Another user, Dee, commented about her partner's experience on the flight. She wrote: "My partner was on that flight! It was pretty bad. It was dribbled down the aisle, smelled horrible.
It took ground crews five hours to clean the plane (Twitter/DramaAlert)
Flight crew attempted to cover the smell with vanilla-scented disinfectant (Twitter/DramaAlert)"The vanilla scented disinfectant used on it only made it smell like vanilla s**t. After the plane landed, it was thoroughly cleaned. They didn't leave until around 2.30am."
Dee went on to say that their flight was "met by emergency vehicles and EMTs" when they landed who transported the sick passenger from the plane. Her partner agreed that the plane was "cleaner when they got back on at 2am that it was the first time they got on."
After a slightly less eventful eight-hour flight, the plane landed in Barcelona at 5.10pm, around eight hours behind schedule. A spokesperson for the airline said: "Delta flight 194 from Atlanta to Barcelona returned to Atlanta following an onboard medical issue. Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to thoroughly clear the aeroplane and get our customers to their final destination. We sincerely apologise to our customers for the delay and inconvenience their travel plans."