Man 'Was Covered In Feces' During His Delta Flight

ATLANTA, GA – A man said he was "covered in feces" on a recent Delta Air Lines flight and told by airline personnel, if he didn't sit in feces he'd miss his flight.

Matthew Meehan, who was raised in Snellville, was taking a flight from Atlanta to Miami Nov. 1, when he found that the plane hadn’t been cleaned properly.

Meehan said as he sat down and immediately smelled something foul. When he went to plug his phone charger in, he said he found feces everywhere, including all over his legs, the floor and the wall of the plane.

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Meehan said he and the person sitting next to him went to the flight crew and told them, and they said they already knew about it and it should have been cleaned up, but wasn't.

Meehan said the flight attendant gave him two paper towels and a bottle of gin from the alcohol cart in order to clean himself. He then went into the plane's small bathroom and attempted to get the feces off of him. He said it was on his bare ankles, pants and, eventually all over his hands with no proper sanitizing solution or gloves.

When he returned to his seat, rather than having him and the plane properly disinfected, passengers were still boarding.

Meehan said he couldn't believe Delta subjected all of the passengers to a biohazard situation. Since he could not resolve the issue on the plane, he went to a gate agent and then to a manager. He said the manager was confrontational and Delta personnel would not take responsibility, telling him he could sit in his seat or miss his flight, the last flight to Miami of the night.

By the time Meehan got back on the plane, he said other passengers were upset about the situation. Finally, the manager had someone clean the area with paper towels, he said.

Meehan said he didn't see any disinfectant used and wasn't satisfied with the cleaning job but, again, he was warned the plane "was pushing back," and he could get in his seat or stay in Atlanta.

Because the flight was oversold, all he could do was sit in the feces for two hours, he said. Meehan and other passengers requested blankets to cover the caked-in feces in the carpet but, he said, the situation was still unbearable. Meehan called the experience "dehumanizing" and compared it to an animal who lies in its own waste in a PETA video. He said it seemed the airline personnel were more concerned about getting a plane out on time than the safety or health of the passengers.

When Meehan arrived in Miami, he posted photos and videos of the incident on Facebook and social media.

Gin bottle Meehan said he was given to clean himself up with

In a statement to Patch, Delta said:

“Delta apologizes to the customer affected by an issue on board flight 1949. On the previous flight, an emotional support animal became ill and the area around his seat was not appropriately cleaned following the incident. Delta has issued a refund and additional compensation to the customer. As the safety and health of our customers and employees is our top priority, we are conducting a full investigation while following up with the right teams to prevent this from happening again.”

Upon landing in Miami, Delta said, the aircraft was taken out of service to be deep cleaned and further disinfected.

Delta said they have been in direct contact with the customer and in addition to refunding his flight, offered to reimburse his shoes and suit as well as additional compensation for the inconvenience.

Meehan said he still wants some answers and a sincere apology. He said if he's not satisfied, he will absolutely file a lawsuit.

Photos used by permission of Matthew Meehan