A Delta Air Lines passenger has shared an astonishing account of a cross-country journey that turned into a nightmare after being seated beside an elderly man who soiled himself mid-flight. The incident, which unfolded on a five-and-a-half-hour trip from Florida to Los Angeles, has since gone viral online and prompted an apology from the airline.
A flight that went from smooth to shocking
What began as a routine direct flight soon descended into discomfort and disbelief. The passenger, who posted their experience on Reddit under the title “5.5-hour flight next to a human biohazard,” said they initially felt relieved at avoiding any layovers. “So on Monday, I took a direct flight from FL to LAX. I thought, ‘Nice! No layovers, smooth sailing.’ Oh how naïve I was,” they wrote. According to the post, an older gentleman requiring airline assistance boarded the plane without a companion and was assigned the seat next to them. “The moment he sat down I knew I was SOL,” the passenger said, using the abbreviation for “s—t outta luck.” They added that the man appeared to have “some serious mobility issues,” leaving them effectively “window-seat-prisoned for 5.5 hours.” Throughout the journey, the flight attendants repeatedly checked on the elderly traveller, “assessing the situation,” though at that point nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
‘There were literal poop smears on the seat’
The realisation of what had happened came only after the plane touched down. “When we landed, he immediately stood up (against instructions, naturally)… and that’s when the true horror revealed itself,” the Redditor wrote.“There were literal poop smears on the seat. And on him. I had spent an entire cross-country flight marinating in that odour.” The stunned traveller described stumbling off the aircraft “in shock.” One of the flight attendants reportedly apologised, asking why they hadn’t requested a mask. The passenger responded with a now-viral line: “Lady, I needed an exorcism.” As a gesture of goodwill, the attendant offered them 5,000 Delta SkyMiles. “Which is nice,” the traveller conceded, “but honestly, I think I deserved therapy and several showers.” They later joked, “It was a real crappy landing.”
Delta’s response and online reactions
Following the viral post, the passenger shared a screenshot of an apology reportedly sent by Delta Air Lines directly to them. “At Delta, we take pride in delivering an exceptional experience, providing reliable and thoughtful service at every moment of your travel journey. On your recent trip with us, we didn’t live up to that commitment and we want you to know we’re sorry. Please accept 5,000 miles, along with our heartfelt apology and commitment to be better for you and all Delta customers.” The airline added that the complimentary miles were available for immediate redemption and encouraged the traveller to contact its customer-service team if they had further concerns. While some readers viewed the 5,000-mile offer as a reasonable gesture, many on Reddit felt it was inadequate given the circumstances. “5,000 miles is not enough,” one commenter wrote. “That’s horrible and unacceptable. Demand something you feel is more appropriate for what you experienced.” Another noted, “5,000 is about $50… literally nothing. I feel bad for that guy though… maybe he was also feeling terrible. But yeah, I only fly Delta, and I sing their praises, but that’s literally like his giving you a small coupon.”
Concerns about hygiene and aircraft cleaning
Beyond sympathy for the passenger, much of the online discussion centred on sanitation and how airlines handle such incidents. “I want to know if they removed the entire contaminated seat before the plane departed again, or did the cleaners just spray it with Lysol? This is a literal biohazard,” one Redditor questioned. Another user who claimed to have previously cleaned Delta aircraft replied, “If it makes you feel any better (probably not lol), I used to clean Delta planes and they would give us a biohazard kit to clean stuff like this, mask, scrubs, all the good chemical stuff lol. It was taken pretty seriously.”According to the airline, every cabin is disinfected prior to boarding using electrostatic sprayers and medical-grade cleaning solutions. In severe cases, a plane may be grounded when bodily fluids are deemed a biohazard risk.
A tale that took off online
The Reddit account quickly attracted widespread attention, with users expressing shock, disgust, and even dark humour at the situation. Some compared the airline’s compensation to their own minor grievances that had earned more generous rewards. “Such a joke,” one person wrote. “I got 10k miles for an ‘unlevelled’ tray table that actually wasn’t unleveled if something was placed on it.” Others voiced empathy for both passengers involved. “I feel bad for that guy though,” said one commenter. “Maybe he was also feeling terrible.” The traveller themselves summed up the ordeal with grim humour: “Every breath was a gamble.”
