Delta passengers got a disgusting surprise on Tuesday when they were showered with maggots that fell from an overhead compartment. The distasteful incident unfolded on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
The bugs apparently had consumed fish that a passenger brought onto the flight in their carry-on luggage. Passengers were so unnerved that the plane turned back to Europe from its U.S. destination.
A grossed out passenger named Kelce posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the flight was two hours into its eight-hour journey. That’s when they discovered “there is rotten fish and maggots hitching a ride with us.”
The passenger who brought the rotten fish and maggots on board the flight was reportedly detained. The offending suitcase, according to the Daily Mail, was set to be burned.
The fish was apparently wrapped in a newspaper.
Posters on a Delta Reddit page described the disturbing scene. One wrote, “My family and I were in the row directly in front of the maggots. The lady right behind us told the flight attendants the maggots were falling on her head.”
Delta passengers showered with maggots after they fell from plane’s overhead compartment https://t.co/rvTXHCew93 pic.twitter.com/kk1eh4RgDC
— New York Post (@nypost) February 15, 2024
Another witness said the bugs were wiggling around on the seat. “Absolutely gross. This dude literally messed up the travel situations of hundreds of people.”
The family seated underneath the compartment where the maggots fell from was relocated toward the front of the aircraft.
Netherlands native and current Iowa resident Philip Schotte reported he saw the bugs fall out of the bin and onto a woman across the aisle. “She was freaking out. She was just trying to kind of fight off these maggots.”
One user said they were forced to endure another day of waiting to get a new connecting flight with another airline.
Kelce reported Delta tried to gloss over the nauseating incident with freebies. Travelers were awarded 8,000 free miles, compensation for hotel rooms and a $30 meal ticket if they were forced to wait overnight for a new flight.
Meanwhile, the aircraft was taken out of service and scheduled for a deep cleaning, according to the Daily Mail.
