Virgin Atlantic passengers on a recent flight to New York JFK were in for a very nasty surprise when they got to the baggage carousel to discover that their bags had been covered in human sewage.
The airline’s initial response? To offer them a £150 future travel voucher. An offer than some of the affected passengers say is an insult.
@mcgtaz Story time: after paying over £1000 for premium economy with virgin atlantic, I discovered my checked baggage covered in sewage. I thought it was mud at first so ended up getting 💩 all over my hands. Thanks to the airport police for giving me some wet wipes and a free trolley for my stuff. Don’t @ me saying it’s not poop – Virgin Atlantic confirmed it (so did the smell)! They are now trying to blame JFK airport…Thanks @hanna from the Express for covering my story. #nyc #london #virginatlantic #jfk #ohno ♬ Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday – Chels
In the defense of Virgin Atlantic, however, the airline claims the bags didn’t get contaminated due to a problem with the plane but were, in fact, sprayed with human faeces only after they were inside the airport.
The airline has blamed a ‘system failure’ inside New York JFK and says it is working with the Port Authority to make sure its sewage system isn’t going to leak on any more bags.
The gag-worthy incident occurred on July 14 when passengers from Virgin Atlantic flight VS-009 went to collect their luggage from the baggage carousel inside Terminal 4.
In a now-viral series of videos posted to TikTok, several passengers shared the moment they realized their bags had been covered in a mystery brown substance.
One passenger initially thought the bags had just been soiled with dirt and picked up their luggage only to then realize that their hands were now covered with human waste.
“After paying over £1000 for premium economy with virgin atlantic, I discovered my checked baggage covered in sewage,” one passenger wrote in a caption to their TikTok video.
“I thought it was mud at first so ended up getting 💩 all over my hands,” the passenger wrote. “Thanks to the airport police for giving me some wet wipes and a free trolley for my stuff.”
Virgin Atlantic ground staff at the airport also came to the rescue, handing out large plastic sacks for passengers to empty the contents of their now ruined bags into.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the airline explained: “We’re aware of a New York JFK system failure that affected the baggage of a small number of arriving customers on July 14.”
“We’re working closely with the team at JFK and local authorities to ensure the issue is resolved. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to affected customers.”
Along with the offer of a future travel voucher, the airline is also encouraging customers to file claims for any damaged items.
