Woman sues Spirit Airlines over bad odour on plane

Claimant says she suffered ‘serious and permanent injuries’

The passenger alleges they were removed because her toddler was screaming after cabin crew forced her to stop nursing him

A woman is suing Spirit Airlines after she alleges a bad odour on one of its flights caused her “serious and permanent injuries.”

Mary Vincent Randall filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court this week and is seeking unspecified damages, reports Fox News.

She was one of 220 passengers on board flight NK779 from LaGuardia Airport, New York, on 27 July 2018.

It was scheduled to fly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but was forced to divert to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina after a bad smell, which Randall described as a “fetid, noxious, burning odour”, was detected in the cabin.

Several people on board the aircraft experienced headaches, nausea and breathing difficulties, while Randall was one of the few to be hospitalised.

She claims to have undergone “extreme pain and suffering” and to have needed more medical treatment in the years that followed, incurring additional costs.

In the lawsuit, Randall accuses Spirit of being “negligent, careless and reckless” in not preventing the odour from affecting passengers and for not helping with her after-care following the incident.

The suit alleges that the airline “has neglected and refused to adjust or pay [Randall’s] claim” and states that Randall is suing for loss of earnings and “economic damages”.

The Independent has contacted Spirit Airlines for comment.

It’s not the first time a strange smell has forced a flight to divert.

In December 2019, Tigerair flight TT644 from Adelaide to Sydney in Australia landed instead at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport after an “unusual odour” was detected on board, leading to three passengers being taken to hospital.

The aircraft was met by emergency services.

“In accordance with standard operating procedures, the captain made the decision to divert after an unusual odour was detected in the cabin,” said a Tigerair Australia spokesperson.

And in July the same year an American Airlines flight also diverted after a mysterious odour was detected onboard.

The flight from Philadelphia International Airport to London Heathrow touched down in Boston around 90 minutes after take-off.

The airline confirmed that a maintenance team was examining the aircraft following the incident.

None of the 154 passengers or 12 crew members onboard the Airbus A330-300 complained of illness, according to the airline.