A United Airlines flight from Tampa to Newark turned into a potential biohazard on Sunday afternoon after wintry weather and the risk of severe turbulence meant that flight attendants were forbidden from getting up from their jumpseats to unlock the bathrooms for the duration of the flight.
With a flight time of just over two hours, you might expect everyone to be able to hold themselves, but as one passenger on flight UA2080 pointed out, a flight from Tampa is going to have a lot of elderly people onboard.
Tampa to Newark No Bathrooms
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“To be super clear here, I 100% agree with what’s happening right now. Safety of flight crew above all,” the passenger wrote in a post on Reddit. “From the moment of takeoff, the flight attendants announced they would not be permitted to leave their seats. And that includes to unlock the bathroom doors.”
It appears that as the flight wore on, nature started to call for an increasing number of people onboard, with the passenger posting an update on what was taking place in the cabin.
“The median age of people on this flight is probably 68,” the passenger wrote. “People are starting to hit the emergency call button. Multiple times. I am praying there has not been a biohazard accident. This is about to get wild.”
The National Weather Service had warned of strong winds all along the east coast on Sunday as another bout of winter weather swept across the North East causing long flight delays.
So far on Sunday, there have been more than 123 flight cancellations across the United States, while nearly 1,200 flights have been delayed, according to data supplied by Flight Aware.
The situation was becoming so rough around Newark that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a temporary ground stop for departures due to the high winds. Arrivals into Newark were still being permitted but with delays of nearly two hours.
Unfortunately, flight UA2080 also had to declare a medical emergency en route to Newark, although that did, at least, mean that the flight was prioritized for landing. Upon arrival, a sick child had to be taken off the plane, vomiting several times before he got to the front of the aircraft.
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for United Airlines said: “United flight 2080 (Tampa – New York/Newark) was met by medical personnel upon arrival in Newark due to a passenger medical issue.”
“One passenger was transported to a local hospital.”
