An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing. A bad smell made six crew sick. The plane had 281 people on it.
Flight 719 left Rome, Italy on July 25. It flew on a Boeing 787 jet. It was headed to Philadelphia. About three hours in, six of nine crew felt dizzy. The pilots turned the plane around. They landed in Dublin, Ireland instead.
This story matters. A small problem on a jet can turn into a big risk fast. A bad smell can make many crew and riders sick at once. This can happen high in the sky, far from any hospital.
The airline said the smell came from an oven on the plane. The airline said the flight "diverted to Dublin (DUB) due to a reported odor onboard caused by an oven." The airline did not say what made the bad smell.
Medics met the jet in Dublin. An airline rep said crews met the jet "out of an abundance of caution." The rep said the sick crew and one rider "were evaluated and subsequently released." They got checked. Then they went home.
The airline gave the stuck fliers free hotel rooms for the night. It put them on a new flight the next day. That flight went to Philadelphia. A rep said, "We appreciate the understanding of our customers." The rep also thanked the crew "for their professionalism."
This is not the only smelly American Airlines flight in recent months. In June, flight 5907 flew from Rochester, New York to Philadelphia. That flight had to land in Syracuse, New York instead. A bad smell came from the cockpit. Two pilots said they felt sick to their stomach. Syracuse.com first told this story.
A third case hit closer to Texas. In November, a flight went from Orlando to Phoenix. It made an extra stop in Houston, Texas. Crew had smelled something bad in the air. Four crew and one rider went to a hospital. They went just to be safe.
The airline has not said if it will check its plane ovens more. Fliers on Flight 719 got to Philadelphia one day late. It is not clear yet if the airline will change how it checks for bad smells before takeoff.
