Yet another Spirit Airlines flight turns back over awful odor: 'Like wet socks'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Yet another Spirit Airlines flight was forced to change plans due to an unknown odor in the cabin.
Eight people were transported to local hospitals after the plane, which was preparing for takeoff from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, turned back to the gate on Wednesday morning just before 9 a.m.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Around 15 people evaluated by medical personnel, Fox 5 reported. Of the eight who were ultimately transported to hospitals, one was a passenger, six were crew, and one was a medical responder with an issue believed to be unrelated to the odor, according to the Associated Press.
The flight was bound for Minneapolis.
A representative for Spirit shared the following statement with Fox News, claiming the odor resembled “oil,” and that crew took immediate action once the smell was detected.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Wednesday shortly after closing the boarding door on Spirit flight 170 with intended service from Las Vegas to Minneapolis, a smell resembling oil presented onboard,” reads the statement. "The door was immediately opened and our Guests and Crew exited the aircraft. EMS assessed Guests at the gate, and three Guests elected to be transported to the hospital as a precaution and have since been released. Safety is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience as our maintenance team investigates.
“Spirit provided meal vouchers, full refunds, and future travel vouchers for the inconvenience."
"It smelled like someone was on our plane the night before and they forgot to take a shower and they took their shoes off,” one passenger said. (iStock)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A passenger aboard the flight described the odor as “really bad,” likening it to wet socks.
"It smelled like someone was on our plane the night before and they forgot to take a shower and they took their shoes off,” Michael Hardin told Fox 5. “So like wet socks[,] it smelled really, really bad."
Hardin also claims a woman on the flight started “throwing up everywhere” upon detecting the scent.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A representative for Spirit Airlines did not comment on a possible cause of the odor.
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This marks the third time in recent weeks that a Spirit Airlines flight has been plagued by a mysterious odor. On April 24, a flight from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale was forced to turn back due to an “unknown odor,” resulting in seven people being treated at local medical facilities as a precaution, Spirit confirmed. On May 3, a Spirit flight from Los Angeles to Denver turned back due to strange smell in the cabin, resulting in one person being transported to a hospital. And on May 5, another flight, from Dallas to Tampa, was diverted to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport due to “reports of an odor,” though a Spirit spokesperson has since said it was actually due to a sick passenger, the Associated Press reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In all of the above cases, the aircrafts were taken out of service for inspection.