An American Airlines passenger says they had to sit through an entire flight in a seat soaked with urine from a previous passenger, the Fort Wayne Observed blog reports. Here’s an excerpt of the complaint letter they emailed the airline:
Upon boarding this flight, my [spouse] was assigned seat 24E. Upon reaching the seat, the gentleman in seat 24F indicated that seat 24E was soaked and that it smelled badly. That kept [my spouse] from immediately sitting in the seat. In fact, the seat was soaked with urine. The flight attendant’s solution was to put a couple of blankets and a plastic bag on the seat. [Your passenger] literally sat in a urine soaked seat (the seat belt was soaked also) for the duration of this 2 hour flight! [There] was offered no compensation, no alternative seating, nothing.
… I believe that, at a minimum, we are entitled to a full refund of [my spouse's] ticket for that flight. Once the flight attendant was made aware of the situation, something should have been done. Seat cushions switched out, [offer of] another seat (except the plane was full), or…offered an alternative flight. I look forward to your quick resolution of this appalling situation.
This is what happens when crews are under the knife to turn over the airplane between flights with enough time for a thorough cleaning, or, in this case, the construction of a vacuum-sealed hazmat quarantine. The story is disgusting, and so is the crew’s indifference and jerry-rigged solution. The only thing I can remember that tops it is Continental Airlines flight 1970 from Amsterdam to New Jersey on Thursday, June 14, 2007, where the toilets overflowed and streamed down the aisles. And in December ’07, AirTran let a lady traveling to Boston sit in a seat that was similarly anointed. She got her airfare and the cost of her clothing refunded.
Personally, I would have refused to sit down and insisted on getting booked on the next flight. Still, that passenger definitely deserves a free ticket voucher and a hell of an apology.
Airline flight became more than a piddling matter [Fort Wayne Observed]
(Photo: JohnKit)
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I wonder what was happening at the traveler’s destination that was so important that they didn’t get off the plane and wait for the next flight. Speaking for myself, I would’ve had to have been rushing to my dying grandmother’s hospital bedside to take that flight. (True story)
I could see a civil lawsuit seeking emotional distress damages coming from this lunacy.
ugh.
@Kevin V:
Rinse your contacts with that for a week and let us know how it’s going.
How can this keep happening? Obviously NASA cares more about their passengers.
The passenger knew it was urine and sat down in it anyway–so he, in effect, accepted the terms of the contract. I don’t see why the airline owes him anything and I’m really sick of all you whiny-baby consumers who refuse to accept control over your own fates.
Ha ha. Just kidding. It’s disgusting. But I wanted to be the first to take the company’s part. Where are all Consumerist’s corporate tools?
Can they cross check these pee-flights for a common passenger? Do they know who does this? Can they diaper-list offenders for future flights?
@girly: It could have been someone sick, senile, or retarded. What purpose would it serve to blacklist them? Passengers dirtying seats with various body fluids, food, or God alone knows what is hardly a rare occurrence in flight. If the airlines don’t have an effective policy for cleaning up the airlines after this happens, they bloody (no pun intended) well should.
I’d file a chargeback on those tickets before you could say American Express.
I’d love to hear how AA could try to justify forcing someone to pay good money to sit in a puddle of someone else’s piss to your credit card company.
Under the new industry-wide “Like It Or Lump It” policy, no action will be taken to make amends. They’ll counter with, “Well, at least you didn’t have to sit in a pile of poop.”
So, the guy let his wife stay in that seat? My husband isn’t the most chivalrous guy around, but I can’t imagine encountering that situation and having him say “well, go ahead and sit there, honey, we’ll see what we can do about it later”. I’m pretty sure that at the least he would have taken the nasty seat and allowed me to sit in the [relatively] pristine seat.
I would have gone to the bathroom, crapped in a bag, then smeared the poop on the attendant on the way out.
@BrianU: No. it is “jerry rigged” or “gerry rigged”. It is a military slang term from the latter days of WWII when the German army was running low on funds and had to resort to non-standard methods of weapons and vehicle repair. It is a slight on the German military implying that their work was substandard or hacked together. The term Gerry was a negative ethnic epithet toward the Germans.
@samurailynn: Yeah. I would have let my girlfriend sit in the non urine seat. I wear crappy clothes normally and don’t care if I need to throw away a pair of jeans.
However, I’d refuse to sit in the seat.
Airlines are getting out of hand surely. What kind of inhumane ethics are they practicing? Since when has the world so darn concerned about cutting costs and capitalizing…. rather than creating a service just for that.. for satisfying a customer. Do they just see dollar signs when they see passengers or are they even interested in creating a genuinely happy experience in return!
With the amount of negative press American Airlines has been receiving lately, Northwest must be skipping down the street in glee to be out of the headlines for a while. American Airlines used to be quite a distinguished airline. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
I feel for this passenger. What do you do if it is too late or not feasible to get off the plane but you don’t want to sit in piss section? I can’t honestly say what I’d do in the same circumstance. No one wants to get arrested for causing a disturbance. However, given the flight attendants callous disregard for situation, a disturbance may have been the only catalyst to elicit alternatives.
I am truly outraged. It is beyond human decency to have to sit in urine. I hope this passenger looks into suing AA for their reprehensible behavior. This passenger is owed far more than the cost of their ticket. Let me sit on the jury, I would gladly award punitive damages worth a king’s ransom. I don’t necessarily support legal windfalls but this passenger has earned theirs.
@speedwell: I would say if they are a serial wetter they do need to have some requirement. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t feel sorry for them, though.
They should’ve had a replacement seat cushion handy. The planes always have extra cushions. I don’t understand why the cushion wasn’t changed.
Bad picture – AA dropped the little head cloths that protect you from the previous occupant’s lice many years ago.
How Bizarre, I thought this was the same American flight I was on this weekend. Same Row, wrong cities. The guy on the aisle seat discovered his seat was wet and at first they did the blanket thing, followed by plastic and more blankets. However, within 20 minutes he was given another seat…
One time I sat next to an old man with a colostomy bag on a Delta flight from Hawaii to LA. About half way it sprang a leak. They moved me and a few other people immediately, but there wasn’t enough room in first class to redistribute everyone, so me and another guy went to coach. They did everything calmly and discreetly to avoid embarrassing the old guy, and after the flight I was met by a manager who gave me 2 round trip vouchers. This was almost 10 years ago now; I doubt they would offer the same excellent service now.
my friend once had to sit on a vomit-soaked seat. also on american. gross.
@ringo00:
My understanding is that “jerry-rigged” began as a US Army term for retrofitting discarded German equipment that they found as the Allies advanced and the Germans retreated. I could be wrong, though…your explanation also makes sense.
“Jerrican” is the word for the gasoline cans used by the German army, which was better than the ones the US Army used, so our boys picked up these “jerry cans” as the Germans discarded them.
“Here at American Airlines, we take our passengers’ bodily waste very seriously.”
How long before we see the “taking it seriously” letter from AA?
Now I am seriously regretting the AA tickets I bought yesterday.
::packs raincoat::
@ringo00: idk, i’ve seen it in print as ‘jury-rigged’, but it could’ve just been a spelling based on dialect.
…and then they should apologize to her again later when they charge her $100 to use her voucher.
@forgottenpassword: Fear of being arrested is probably what kept her on the plane.
I’d ask for the flight attendants seat, the flight attendant can sit in pee
The same thing happened with me on a United flight, LAX -> JFK.
Except a bit worse. My seat was urine, my boyfriend’s was vomit. We
brought this to the attention of the crew as soon as we sat down (it was
very obvious.) No offer to move seats, no apology other than “we had a
quick turnaround” and my boyfriend was sick for a week afterwards with
whatever the person who was throwing up had.
United’s response to my complaint? $50 credit on another flight.
Needless to say, we never used those credits, and never flew United again.
Dude.
DUDE.
Makes me wonder, what if it was one of the flight attendants’ seats that was peed on? If an attendant on an earlier flight had had an accident and just left it that way? I’m pretty damn sure they’d be switching out the cushions in a heartbeat. But those lame passengers, screw them.
And the whole “urine is/isn’t sterile” issue. Seriously, who cares? I couldn’t give a damn about the sterility, it’s freaking PISS. Imagine how horribly the seat must have smelled, and the passenger’s clothing afterward. Stale urine is a nasty smell. I live in San Francisco in one of our more, umm…fragrant neighborhoods. I’ve been here a year and have spent much time in the city prior to that, and that smell still makes me gag.
This is not unlike the story of the passenger who has asked to sit in the lav for his flight. It seems like the best strategy here is to ask for your preferred solution. If soaking in piss is unacceptable to you, the plane is full, and you are amenable to taking a later flight…then insist on being rebooked.
Obviously, the flight attendant doesn’t give a shit and you sitting on a urine-soaked seat covered in plast is a convenient solution for her. The most pathetic thing about this whole episode is you can’t rely on the airline to offer decent service or creatively solve their own problems. The passenger has to insist on decent treatment and lead the business by the nose to doing the right thing.
I have seen a young child get up from sleeping during a flight with soaked clothing. No telling on the seat condition…
@picardia: Hum… better put that in your carry-on.
I am not surprised at the flight attendants response and attitude.I am appauled.That’s a potential health issue for everyone on that plane including the crew.I can’t believe the airlines don’t train the crew to at least question or foward ANY health concerns higher up.
I’m also surprised that’s not a bigger problem given the wait times and how cramped and crowed some of these planes are.Many won’t bother to get up and go the restroom because it’s such a hassle.
They’re going to have to start issuing NASA astronaut diapers.
Hate to say it but sue away.
Wow… nobody blamed the victim… I’m so proud of you guys!
Your right ceejeemcbeegee but after seeing the news about disorderly passengers being arrested for complaining or just be suspected of something I’d be leary to complain too much.Throw in some time constraints or deadlines the passenger is at the mercy of the crew.
Personally I would’ve made a bigger issue.I’m surprised the passangers in the adjoining seats didn’t COMPLAIN.But the thing is the second the issue was pointed out to the crew much more should’ve been done for the passenger.
And being in an airport let alone the airplane you’re in a very controlled enviorment where you are expected to be COMPLIANT.Most people don’t even want to question authority in circumstances like that-and that’s exactly what they want and exploit all the time.
while flying a few months ago, there was an empty seat in the middle. Someone near the front of the plane had some unknown disgusting brown/green substance on theirs, and since our middle seat was empty a flight attendant came and switched the seat cushions on us. I’m happy the lady did not have to sit ON whatever that was, but I did not want it next to me either. The man in the aisle seat and I complained, and asked that the cushion just be removed entirely, but the flight attendant said the plane cannot depart without all seat cushions in place. (I know, what?) His solution was to cover it with a blanket.
A second flight attendant came up to us right after and said “This is completely unacceptable, when you guys land, you need to complain to our headquarters”, which is ridiculous, because if it’s unacceptable, then YOU should do something about it, not me.
Before the flight took off some maintenance guy came on the plane to switch the covers, and the first flight attendant stopped him and said “We’re already late as it is, I covered it with a blanket, we need to go” and said maintenance guy left without changing it.
Then minutes before take off, a third flight attendant came up and said “Is there something gross on that seat? Let me take that”, ripped the cushion off, and I enjoyed my rather spacious 5 hour flight without worry that something was growing in the seat next to me.
Honestly I don’t think I would have taken the time to complain because at least I didn’t have to sit on it, but I thought the resulting circus was horrifying. How can I hear three different things from three different flight attendants, and how come only one has the balls to just do the right thing?
At least they didn’t charge for the blankets.
Anyone remember the American Airlines jingle from back in the 80′s?
“We’re American Airlines/something special in the air”
I believe that our editor may have it wrong: it can either be “jury-rigged” or “jerry-built.” “Jerry-rigged” is incorrect.
According to [www.reference.com]
Man, I love etymological pedantry.
@Hawkins: You dear sir, must not spend much time in the South. It is definitely ‘jerry-rig’ and when people say ‘jury-rig’ it is because they are pronouncing ‘jerry’ in a thick accent, like ‘jurrrry rig’.
Now, the ACTUAL for-reals phrase might be ‘jury’ but people here (Virginia) say ‘jerry-rig’.
@wiretapstudios: Your regional dialect and accent may sound like “jerry,” but the interweb still says that the spelling “jury-rig” is correct.
As a cited source from Wikipedia:
jury rig – TRANSITIVE VERB: To rig or assemble for temporary emergency use. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
I thought it was related to how a jury ( group of people ) would come to a quick consensus just to get out of the room and back to their normal lives
But, the etymology is from improvised rigging on a ship. And I have heard the German/Jerry theory while being taught the correct way of saying it.
I had always heard it as “jerry-rig” with a negative/positive ethnic contribution. Sort of a backhanded compliment to German ingenuity during WWII.
This happened to the passengers behind me on a Northwest Flight three years ago. It was handled much better, though; a flight attendant stood guard over the seat and when the passenger arrived she apologized, explained that the previous passenger had an accident, and arranged a new seat for the passenger. I overheard the conversation and she was truly apologetic and frankly explained that because the janitorial stuff had been cut so drastically the flight attendants were expected to clean the entire plane in unreasonably short time spans between flights, and her frustration with the situation was quite clear yet expressed very tactfully and kindly.
I did think the airplane was extremely unkempt, and I felt quite badly for the flight attendants.
I vote for jerryrig, without the hypen.
Urine might be considered sterile, except maybe Hep-B or some other virus. Other viruses are present in urine, but at such low concentrations that they are generally ignored, but I am not so sure about sitting in a puddle of it…..does that count as a low concentration?
@remedies: Not based on dialect. Based on ignorance of the etymology, and assuming what one heard was a different word.
Urk… Sorry, I think I would’ve asked to switch seats with the stewardess and see how she liked it… Not that she peed in it, but I think the point would’ve been made.
I am surprised they didn’t get charged extra for a free beverage!!!!!!!
REFUND.
And I would sue American Airlines. You’d probably win.