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Lice outbreak forces emergency landing of New York-bound American Airlines flight
After the passengers spotted lice in a woman's hair, the flight had to make emergency landing at the Phoenix airport.
When passengers on an American Airlines aircraft from Los Angeles to New York saw lice in a woman's hair mid-flight, the plane had to make an emergency landing in Phoenix. As per reports, Ethan Judelson, a traveller, described the surprise and concern among other passengers in a TikTok video. He claimed that the passengers were left perplexed by the crew's limited explanation of the diversion.
According to PEOPLE, he said in his video, "I look around, no one's on the ground, no one's freaking out. I'm like, it can't be that dire. But we land, and as soon as we land, this woman across the aisle from me shoots up and rushes to the front of the plane."
About a month following the event, Judelson told PEOPLE he and his seatmate brushed off the woman's rush as irritable passenger behaviour. (Also Read: Co-pilot faints on flight from London carrying 193 passengers, rare red alert issued)
What happened when the flight made an emergency landing?
He further informed that the flight assistance team ensured everyone that they would learn more about the situation once they get off. However, they were only told that the next flight to New York will be after 12 hours. The passengers were also given voucher for a hotel and $12 for spending.
According to Judelson, he learned the following day by "word of mouth" that there was a lice outbreak in the plane. Later, he was able to verify that he had correctly heard the reason when he ran into other passengers while buying a protein bar. (Also Read: Singapore Airlines crew were 'stoic, did everything they could': Passenger on turbulence nightmare at 37,000 feet)
How did the airline react to the situation?
A spokesperson for American Airlines told PEOPLE: "On June 15, American Airlines flight 2201 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) diverted to Phoenix (PHX) due to the medical needs of a customer."
