Passengers Sent to Hospital After Spirit Plane Reports Unknown Odor

Image: Spirit Airlines Airbus. (photo via Boarding1Now / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus)
Image: Spirit Airlines Airbus. (photo via Boarding1Now / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus)
Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:51 AM ET, Thu April 25, 2019

Update: April 25, 2019 at 3:10 p.m. ET

Spirit Airlines media relations manager Derek Dombrowski released a statement to TravelPulse regarding Wednesday's incident:

Flight 301 with scheduled service Wednesday from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale turned back shortly after takeoff due to an unknown odor presenting onboard. No Guests reported any medical issues. Our crew of seven was checked out as a precaution.

We apologize for the inconvenience this caused our Guests, who were booked on later flights. The aircraft in question was taken out of service for inspection.


Several passengers on a Spirit Airlines flight that made an emergency landing in Maryland Wednesday had to be taken to the hospital after an unknown odor was detected onboard.

According to CBS Baltimore, the Spirit flight departed from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport en route to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida when the incident occurred.

Shortly after takeoff at around 7 a.m. local time, the captain of the flight declared an alert for "major difficulties" and turned the plane around for an emergency landing in Maryland.

After the flight landed safely, it was met by members of the BWI Marshall Airport Fire and Rescue Department and Anne Arundel County emergency crews, with seven people needing to be transported to local hospitals.

Officials have not released the conditions of those impacted or if any flight crew members were sickened, but the plane was taken out of service while the incident is being investigated.


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Donald Wood

Donald Wood

Managing Editor

Donald Wood is TravelPulse’s Managing Editor, bringing nearly 15 years of experience to the desk. He currently lives outside Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

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