Qantas passenger sits in someone else’s vomit for eight-hour journey

A Qantas passenger said she immediately noticed a foul smell on the plane but it wasn’t until she sat down that she was left horrified.

Qantas has issued an apology and refund to a passenger who had to endure eight hours sitting in someone else’s vomit after a passenger on the previous leg became violently ill.

Keira Connell was on her way home to Sydney from Singapore where she, her husband and five-year-old daughter spent a week on holiday.

The Airbus A380 departed from London and stopped in Singapore on Saturday where the family boarded the red-eye flight.

When the trio took to their seats at the front of the aircraft near the toilets, Keira said she immediately noticed a foul smell.

Keira Connell, her husband and daughter were holidaying in Singapore when they boarded the Qantas flight home to Sydney on January 18. Picture: Keira Connell

“I said to staff straight away that the plane absolutely stinks and they told me it was subjected to a deep clean and also sprayed,” Keira told news.com.au.

But it wasn’t until the plane was taxiing to the runway that things took a dire turn.

Keira, who was wearing a skirt, said she felt “something wet” on her leg.

“I asked my husband if our little one spilt water or something on my seat and he said ‘no’.

“Once the seatbelt sign was turned off, I got up and wiped the seat.”

She noticed something “pink” stuck to her leg.

Keira was both disgusted and shocked to find her seat had another passenger’s vomit still on it. Picture: Keira Connell

“I feel disgusting saying this – when I pulled the back of my skirt to the front to see what It was, I noticed I had something pink on me and when I looked at my hand my husband said ‘that’s vomit’.

“That person’s vomit must have hit the floor and splattered up.

“I went to the bathroom to wash my hands and the carpet was all wet and the bathroom also stunk.”

A horrified Keira immediately alerted cabin crew who informed her that because it was as a “biohazard risk”, they could not clean the vomit.

Keira said she was forced to sit in the vomit for the entire eight-hour trip from Singapore to Sydney. Picture: Keira Connell

“She (a crew member) said the biohazard protocol doesn’t allow them to clean it.”

Eventually, a crew member wiped the sick with an antibacterial spray and allegedly told Keira “there’s nothing else we can do”.

“You could see the crew were really distressed themselves,” she said.

Keira claimed the flight was also understocked with certain meals and her entertainment system wasn’t working. She also said she found used ear plugs and lolly wrappers in her seat.

“It wasn’t the fault of the immediate crew, they were extremely professional but they were clearly stressed,” she said.

Qantas has since issued an apology to Keira, offered her a refund and 10,000 Frequent Flyer points. Picture: Keira Connell

Keira also noticed the crew’s jump seat also had vomit on it.

A Qantas spokesperson told news.com.au they have since apologised to Keira and issued her with a refund.

“We have apologised to the customer for what would have been a very uncomfortable flight and have offered to refund her flight,” the spokesperson said.

“A passenger on the prior flight was feeling unwell and was subsequently sick on the seat and surrounding area.

The airline said the plane was subject to a deep clean ‘but it was clearly not up to standard’.

“Our cleaning supplier in Singapore conducted a deep clean of the seat prior to the next departure, including using disinfectant in the surrounding area, but it was clearly not up to standard.”

The spokesperson said they have raised the issue with the airline’s cleaning supplier to understand what happened.

As part of the apology, Keira was also given 10,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points.

However, almost 24 hours after arriving in Sydney, Keira, her husband and daughter all fell ill with gastro.

She said while she’s grateful for the refund, she would have expected the airline issue a refund for her husband and daughter.