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What was meant to be the end of a routine trip across the pond turned into a nightmare for the passengers on Virgin Atlantic flight VS 9 when they arrived at New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Checked bags showed up at the carousel covered in human feces.
Checked bags were soaked in a foul-smelling brown liquid upon reaching the baggage carousel at Terminal 4. Many passengers initially assumed it was mud, but soon learned the true nature of the odious substance. Airport police provided wet wipes and Virgin Atlantic ground staff handed out plastic bags for passengers to salvage their belongings. Affected travelers were also offered a £150 future travel voucher, which some called “insulting.”
In a statement, Virgin Atlantic confirmed the incident and clarified that the contamination did not originate on the aircraft, but occurred after the luggage was unloaded and inside the airport. The airline urged passengers to file claims for damaged items and is reportedly working with the Port Authority to ensure the sewage system at New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) doesn’t create any similar incidents in the future.
The situation quickly exploded on social media, with multiple TikTok videos showing the moment passengers realized their bags were contaminated. Comments criticize both the airport and the airline’s initial compensation offer. The gag-worthy episode has also sparked renewed concerns over baggage handling at airports.
Anthony’s Take: This is disgusting. I’m not sure I’d want to even take my bag if it was covered in poop. Even though it appears that the incident was the fault of the airport, Virgin should step up and give these poor passengers a better apology and compensation.
(Featured Image Credit: @Daily_Express via X.)
(H/T: Paddle Your Own Kanoo.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
