A Delta Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit was forced to turn back after a passenger’s carry-on bag, filled with rotting fish, caused maggots to fall onto other passengers. Philip Schotte, a passenger on the flight, described the horrifying scene to Fox 2 Detroit.
Schotte, a Netherlands native who now resides in Iowa, recalled the moment he saw a woman across the aisle being showered with maggots from the overhead compartment. The woman was in a state of panic, trying to fend off the repulsive creatures. The source of the maggots was a carry-on bag, filled with newspaper-wrapped fish, that had been placed in the overhead bin.
Schotte expressed his shock and disgust at the situation. He said that he was trying to process what was happening, but the overwhelming feeling was one of revulsion. The passengers had to wait for assistance to arrive and deal with the situation.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that the bag contained rotten fish. Schotte described the reaction of the passengers when the bag was opened as an immediate pinching of the nose. The passenger who had brought the fish on board then stood up and claimed the bag.
The passenger explained that the bag contained fish, a statement that Schotte heard from his seat. He realized then that the bag contained rotten fish and that the maggots were coming from it.
The flight attendants moved the offensive bag to the back of the plane, and the pilot informed the passengers that they would be returning to Amsterdam. Schotte was able to board another flight to the US a few hours later.
He agreed with the decision to turn the plane around, as he had noticed a maggot in his row by the time they landed. He couldn’t imagine what it would have been like if they had continued the flight for another seven hours.
Delta Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, in a statement to WXYZ, the airline apologized to the passengers of flight 133 AMS-DTW for the inconvenience caused by an improperly packed carry-on bag. The airline also stated that the aircraft was taken out of service for cleaning.
A passenger named Kelce tweeted about the incident, stating that it was unpleasant to discover two hours into an eight-hour flight that there were rotten fish and maggots on board. Kelce also mentioned that the airline compensated the passengers with 8,000 free miles, hotel room compensation, and a $30 meal ticket in case they were delayed overnight.