Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Poopy Plane: Worst Flight Ride Ever?
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 21, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 21, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Okay, so being stranded on a grounded Jet Blue flight for hours and hours on end with the airport in sight is no good. But we think the passengers of a Continental flight from Amsterdam to Newark win the "Woe in my plane ride." Because they had to endure a flight with backed-up toilets that caused sewage to seep down aisles.
Last week, passengers flying back to Newark had to stop in Shannon, Ireland because the plane's toilets weren't working. The stopover became an overnight stay, and then the passengers boarded the same plane, only for the sewage to overflow after takeoff. And then the sewage actually ran down the aisles.
One passenger, Colin Brock, took photographs as evidence of the horrible flight and said, "I've never felt so offended in all my life. I felt like i had been physically abused and neglected. I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours." He added that flight attendants told passengers not to eat or drink much, "To be told that we were supposed to monitor what comes out the other end of us was insulting. Shame on continental. It was the worst flight experience I have ever had."
Metblogger Dana Bushman described her journey on the smelly plane (she cashed in 200,000 Continental frequent flier miles for a trip for herself and her boyfriend) and added this amazing punchline: "Eight hours later, 32 hours into the whole ordeal, we are in Newark, ready for the fun of customs and immigration, and on our way out of the gate Continental issues the final slap in the face--a voucher for one free drink the next time we fly with them!"
Photograph by Colin Brock; apparently powder and paper towels were towels were used to sop waste
Tagged
fun
immigration
jet blue
News: NYC
plane
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
For a Democrat in a traditionally red NJ district, how to woo Republican voters
The first-time Democrat says it’s still “a toss-up race” between her and incumbent GOP Rep. Tom Kean.
By
Mike Hayes
Published Oct 11, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
The NYPD said the investigation is continuing and no one had been arrested Saturday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
News
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
The NYPD said the investigation is continuing and no one had been arrested Saturday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con
By
Jessica Gould
What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC
By
Karen Yi
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .