In the wake of airlines experiencing multiple technical problems with their aircraft, Alaska Airlines is the latest airline to join the list. A recent flight bound for Seattle made an unexpected return after four flight attendants began feeling ill following an “unidentified odor.”
On Thursday evening, flight AS810 took off from Lihue, Kauai but detoured to Honolulu not long after. According to a statement from the airline, the aircraft decided to go back to the airport “out of an abundance of caution” after the flight crew became aware of the foul smell. Once the plane had landed, the four attendants were quickly transported to a hospital for evaluations. Thankfully, neither the pilots nor the 119 passengers needed medical attention.
Additionally, the Honolulu Emergency Service Department stated that the flight attendants showed signs of “nausea and disturbed coordination.” As a result, the airline arranged for alternate flights for those individuals traveling to Seattle and halted the plane’s service for thorough inspection.
This isn’t the first time Alaska has experienced such an incident. Back in June, a flight from Honolulu to Anchorage had a similar incident after crew members started feeling unwell during the boarding process due to an unexplained odor, resulting in the flight being cancelled. Another incident occurred in early March after fumes were detected on a flight traveling from Portland to Phoenix, which led to the aircraft returning to the airport mid-flight.
As of now, Alaska Airlines is working to tackle these issues and ensure their crew members and passengers are safe while in the friendly skies.
