Frontier Air Passenger Is Left With ‘Pee Soaked’ Carry-On Bag But Airline Says It’s Not Their Responsbility

A Frontier Airlines passenger says she was left with a pee-soaked carry-on bag, and she’s convinced the person sitting in the row in front of hers is responsible. The ultra-low-cost airline has, however, denied any responsibility and says she has to take it up with the person responsible.

The repulsive incident is said to have happened on a Frontier flight from Seattle to Dallas on June 9, according to the woman’s sister, who took to the social media site Reddit in a desperate attempt to get advice from fellow flyers.

In the now-deleted post, the woman explained how her sister was left carrying around pee-soaked paper towels as evidence of the disgusting act she went from one Frontier worker to the next for help.

“During the flight, her backpack was stored under the seat in front of her. When the flight ended and she went to grab it, she realized it was soaked. She assumed maybe water or soda, but when she tried to dry it off in the airplane bathroom, the paper towels came out yellow,” the woman explained.

“She’s 99% sure the person sitting in the seat in front of her peed during the flight, and it leaked onto her backpack.”

Left on her own in the airport and now dealing with a ‘biohazard,” the woman initially went straight back to the gate to seek advice before being “brushed off” and sent to the ticket counter.

“She’s literally carrying around pee-soaked paper towels as evidence while getting bounced around the airport trying to find someone who will take her seriously,” the woman’s sister wrote.

After a supervisor called the general manager for advice, the woman was essentially told that there was nothing that Frontier could do about it and that she would need to take up the issue with the person she is accusing of peeing on her bag.

“Which is ridiculous because who in their right mind is going to confront someone but also confront someone about unknown bodily fluids?” the woman’s sister commented.

“This whole thing just feels… so gross and wrong. A bodily fluid soaks her personal belongings, and she’s being told she’s on her own?”

In response to her post, however, other travelers confirmed that her sister really was on her own.

Frontier’s contract of carriage explicitly states that the Denver-based carrier won’t be held liable for damage to carry-on baggage that isn’t due to its own fault or negligence.

Others suggested that being left with a pee-soaked bag was the risk you took when you fly Frontier, while others said the least that Frontier could do is identify the suspect or help with an investigation.

One commentator who claimed to be a Frontier Airlines flight attendant said the carrier generally only regarded bodily fluids containing blood to be a bio-hazard, citing a memo that aimed to clarify the airline’s stance on biohazards after crew members increasingly reported their concerns with airplane cleanliness.

Matt’s take

This incident really strikes at the heart of whether airlines should be held liable for the actions of their passengers – an argument that will no doubt divide opinions.

In January 2024, Australian flag carrier Qantas ended up giving a Kiwi passenger on a flight from Bangkok to Sydney a full refund after the man snuggled into a urine-soaked neck pillow during the nine-hour flight.

Prior to takeoff, the man had placed his neck pillow on the floor area in front of him, and once in the air, he retrieved the pillow to discover it was damp. He initially thought it was water but only realized it was pee when he snuggled into the pillow and got a strong whiff of urine.

This case was, however, slightly different as a young child on the previous flight had an accident in their seat, and the airline failed to clean up the mess before passengers boarded the plane for the next service.

Qantas initially offered the passenger 10,000 frequent flyer points but when the story became a viral sensation, the airline quickly offered a full refund as a ‘gesture of goodwill’