There are a few things I expect from a flight crew upon boarding. Knocking the shit off the seats before takeoff is definitely one of them. But apparently, this was too much to ask of one Delta crew.
Detroit’s WXYZ reports Michigan resident Matthew Meehan recently boarded a Delta flight from Atlanta to Miami. Soon after he sat down in his seat and got settled, he and the passenger next to him found that they’d sat in literal shit. Apparently, it had been left behind by a service dog.
“Actual feces and it was all over me. I sat in it and it was on the seat, on the floor, the seat in front. And I was literally in it,” he told the TV station. Both people went to the front of the plane to clean themselves up and ask for assistance. The flight attendant was less than helpful.
“I have no idea why I wasn’t offered something from the biohazard kit to clean myself up with, Meehan continued. “Instead, I was handed two paper towels and one of those miniature bottles of Bombay Sapphire, a bottle of gin to clean myself with.” Gin!
Meehan did what he could with what he was given. Meanwhile, flight attendants continued to board the flight and said that they couldn’t do more than they already did. Meehan got off the plane and asked to talk to a manager.
“At the very beginning, she sighed, ‘what’s your problem?’ And it was just, you know, I had to step back for a moment and say, alright, keep your composure. You do not want to be one of these people you see on the news getting kicked off a plane,” Meehan said. “Meanwhile, I’m covered in feces.”
He, along with the other passengers, were forced to spread a blanket over the mess and then had to deal with it for the entirety of the two-hour flight.
Delta issued the following statement, according to WXYZ:
On Nov. 1, an aircraft operating flight 1949 from Atlanta to Miami was boarded before cleaning was completed following an incident from a previous flight with an ill service animal. Delta apologizes to customers impacted by the incident and has reached out to make it right, offering a refund and additional compensation. The safety and health of our customers and employees is our top priority, and we are conducting a full investigation while following up with the right teams to prevent this from happening again. Upon landing in Miami, the aircraft was taken out of service to be deep cleaned and disinfected.
Meehan, at least, was offered a refund. He’s also been contacted by a bunch of lawyers who want to take on the case. It’s unclear if he’s going to take legal action.
Anyway, I guess just because it’s 2018 and we live in a society, you should still always check your seat before you sit because you don’t know if there will be dog shit in it.