A Delta Air Lines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit was forced to turn around after luggage containing rotting fish started raining maggots on travelers.
Delta Flight 133 left Amsterdam at 10:11 a.m. Tuesday, according to tracking website FlightAware. The jet made it only as far as England before doubling back.
About an hour into the flight, maggots began falling from the overhead compartment onto a woman.
“She was freaking out. She was just trying to kind of fight off these maggots. I don’t really know what was going through my mind. I was trying to process it. Disgust is one thing, of course,” Philip Schotte, a Dutchman sitting next to her, told Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK.
Flight attendants found the cause of the maggots: rotting fish wrapped in newspaper. A man on board claimed the fish, which was taken to the back of the plane as it headed back to Amsterdam.
“They found out that there was a rotten fish in there. I did see everyone’s reaction to the bag being opened, which was just an immediate pinching of the nose,” Mr. Schotte said.
The plane landed in Amsterdam at noon.
The fish was soon taken off to be burned. The unnamed passenger who brought the fish aboard was kept on the aircraft as other people deplaned, a passenger named Kelce told the Daily Mail.
The affected travelers were given 8,000 Delta travel miles, compensation for a hotel room and a $30 meal ticket if they were delayed overnight, said Kelce, who did not provide a surname.
“We apologize to the customers of Flight 133 AMS-DTW as their trip was interrupted due to an improperly packed carry-on bag. The aircraft returned to the gate and passengers were placed on the next available flight. The aircraft was removed from service for cleaning,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement to The Independent British news site.