While it can come off like the start of a bad comedy film, strong odors on a plane can become a serious issue as they have the potential to cause passenger illness or even distract the pilots from concentrating on their work.
In September 2023, a Delta Air Lines (DAL) plane traveling to Barcelona had to turn back around to Atlanta after a “biohazard issue” that the passenger described in the overhead announcement as a “passenger who’s had diarrhea all the way through the airplane.”
At around the same time, a couple who took a Singapore Airlines (SINGF) flight made the news after demanding a refund over a dog they said was “drooling and farting” next to them on the 13-hour flight from Paris to Singapore.
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On June 17, an Alaska Airlines (ALK) flight that was supposed to take vacationers back from Honolulu to Anchorage was suddenly called off due to an “unknown odor.”
‘Unknown odor’ leaves flight attendants in ‘serious condition’
Two female flight attendants had initially started to feel unwell and were later taken in to a local Honolulu hospital in “serious condition” at around 11:45 p.m. local time, USA Today reported. No further information about their condition or what could have caused the odor has been released, but the airline said that it reported the incident for investigation.
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“This incident was properly reported to the appropriate agencies for further action,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement. The two flight attendants were eventually cleared to resume flying while no instance of passengers getting sick have been reported.
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This is what airlines do to fight bad odors on planes
The problem of odors on planes is a perennial issue that is difficult to combat as it can come up in multiple forms. While planes are designed to have room for strong ventilation systems, they are not always enough to offset the worst of situations that can sometimes take place when travelers get ill or bring something particularly unpleasant onboard.
Noxious fumes can also be used by bad actors trying to hijack a flight. While incredibly rare, flight crews have a protocol that gives them instructions for how to act in such situations.
In some cases, airlines themselves may end up being the offender by using strong lavatory cleaners that reek of chemicals or spraying the cabin with a signature “feel-good” scent that may be overwhelming for people with odor sensitivity. After Delta in 2015 launched its own signature blend of lavender and chamomile that it uses in the cabin, other U.S. airlines quickly followed suit to keep up — the decision to use it is always a tug-of-war between the passengers who like it and those who would prefer not to smell anything at all.
“There’s a war of scents going on at 36,000 feet, and it’s escalating in ways you can’t see (but will probably smell),” USA Today’s Christopher Elliott recently wrote in his weekly column. “Some passengers are treating personal hygiene as if it’s optional. Others are taking matters into their own hands by spraying unapproved scents. Airlines, meanwhile, are maintaining a double standard for smells.”
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