Delta diarrhoea, kangaroo support animal & forgotten baby - wildest plane delays

07 September 2023 , 16:03

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Dozens of flights a year are grounded or make u-turns for some strange reasons - and here are the best ones (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A bizarre incident involving explosive diarrhoea and the aisles of a Delta flight caused a massive delay - definitely making it onto the list of the wildest things to happen on an aeroplane.

From smelly carpets to toilet truck collisions, passengers have been delayed for silly reasons a number of times in the decades since regular air travel became a thing. While we like to think of aeroplanes as a fancy way to travel, people prove every day it's like any city's public transportation - you've got people bringing weapons and exotic animals aboard, loud drug inducted freak-outs, angry individuals, and employees that are clueless.

So the next time you have a slight plane delay or a crying baby, remember these stories and be grateful your luggage isn't iced over, and you're not sitting next to someone's emotional support kangaroo.

From the uncomfortable to the plain weird, here are some of the most entertaining reasons that planes have been delayed... so far (Getty Images)

In all our research, this recent incident seems to be the worst all around. For those of you living under a rock, the biggest news story of the week was about a passenger on a Delta Airlines flight that was forced to turn back after someone suffered a case of catastrophic diarrhoea.

Passengers on that flight say it "dribbled down the aisle." According to someone who claims their partner was on the plane, the person behind the faecal explosion had to be carried off the flight by emergency services once the plane had landed. On X, Dee W said: "My partner was on that flight! It was pretty bad. It was dribbled down the aisle and smelled horrible. The vanilla-scented disinfectant used on it only made it smell like vanilla s***. After the plane landed, it was thoroughly cleaned. They didn’t leave until around 2.30 am."

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Delta's not the only airline to deal with sick and smelly passengers, plenty of those flying have had something to be embarassed on a flight (AP)

But they're not the only ones to get to experience something smelly. In 2013, a flight took off from Stockholm, bound for Germany, but was forced to land in Copenhagen after passengers detected a “strong odour” on board, the Aviation Herald reported. After grounding the flight and completing an investigation, the crew realised it was coming from a recently installed carpet. Everyone had to be loaded aboard a new plane after that.

One unlucky customer aboard a Ryanair plane had an allergic reaction while on the flight that was so bad it had to land mid-journey in Germany when it was supposed to go from Budapest to Dublin. Apparently, someone brought their homemade mushroom soup aboard, and stashed it in the overhead bin, where it began to leak. It leaked onto a man who happened to be probably the only person on that flight allergic to mushrooms, and his neck reportedly swelled up and he struggled to breathe, forcing an emergency landing.

The lesson here is don't get on the plane when you're feeling sick, and don't bring your strange pet if the airline has a policy against them - or you'll make everyone late (AFP via Getty Images)

Also in the realm of reasons it stinks to miss your flight... A travel journalist flying from Saigon to Siem Reap on Vietnam Airlines reported that her flight was two hours late. Because it collided with a toilet truck on the runway. They did eventually get it cleaned up and the plane ready, but she said it was a 'messy' situation.

And then there are the emotional support animals. One of the weirdest support animals to be taken on a flight? A Kangaroo. This one woman posted a photo of her mother and the good boy in question. She wrote: "When my mom has a kangaroo on her flight as an 'emotional support animal.'"

While the kangaroo was allowed, a different woman attempting to bring her emotional support squirrel was denied due to a no-rodent policy. The woman was attempting to board a Frontier Airlines flight from Orlando to Cleveland and when the crew told her that she and her pet weren't welcome, she threw a fit. Police had to be called to escort her off the property, delaying the flight she was supposed to be on.

And then there's the 'big oops' category. Like a couple who forgot their baby and only realised when they were in the air on a Saudia flight from Saudi Arabia to Malaysia. The mother threw a fit, as expected, and "refused" to continue the flight, forcing the aeroplane to turn around and let the couple off.

In 2015, a flight leaving London had to turn back, delaying passengers for nearly 15 hours - all because of a "smelly poo" in the toilet. It apparently wouldn't flush and created an odour that caused the crew to become concerned. They couldn't fix it or stop the smell, so they just took everyone back to London.

Yelena Mandenberg