“The Embarrassment”: Woman’s In-Flight Diarrhea Nightmare Forces Plane To Land Early

TikToker and aspiring actress, Meghan Reinertsen, took to the ether to talk about her explosive bout of food poisoning that forced an airline to ground an aircraft for the rest of that day.

Reinertsen was flying from Portugal to Indianapolis in the U.S. when her innards decided it was unhappy with something she’d eaten the day before and forced her into a restroom where she holed up until the plane landed.

The experience is one of a few in the last two years which includes the turning back of a flight two hours out of Atlanta because someone defecated on the floor, and another outside of Amsterdam’s Schipol one day when eight out of nine bathrooms aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner failed.

Meghan Reinertsen was on the final leg of her journey when her stomach acted up

Woman in jeans and gray shirt holding hands over abdomen, depicting extreme diarrhea discomfort on plane.

Image credits: Sasun Bughdaryan/Unsplash

Reinertsen posted a three-part account of her aircraft-grounding diarrhea experience between July 7 and 8, explaining how she embarked on the multi-legged flight itinerary in the hope of making it to a movie premiere on time.

She awoke at three in the morning, departed from Faro Airport in Portugal, and connected in Lisbon to a flight that would take her to Indianapolis via Newark.

As the aircraft landed in Newark, she was awakened by “a disturbance deep, deep” inside her stomach.

Passenger in airplane cabin raising hand during flight, illustrating extreme diarrhea leading to emergency landing and cancellation.

Image credits: Steven Thompson/Unsplash

“Something is happening that I am not prepared to deal with,” she recalled thinking at the time.

Some time after the flight was airborne again, she made her way to the restroom, and the stomach bug forced out the contents of her stomach.

Staffers in hazmat suits were deployed to clean up after her

Woman with long blonde hair speaking about extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

Image credits: meghanreinertsen

At some point during the bathroom stint, her bathroom debacle caught the attention of an attendant who spoke to her through the closed door.

The airline staffer was particularly concerned about the plane landing while Reinertsen was on the loo, but she could not do anything about it.

Reinertsen recalled her state during the exchange, saying, “I’m sweating, I’m crying, my insides are cramping.”

@meghanreinertsen Part 1 of how I personally got a United flight cancelled #storytime#airplane#diarrhea @United Airlines ♬ original sound – Meghan Reinertsen

“For the next 20 minutes, I have more diarrhea than any human should have in their life,” her account continued.

As she sat in the stall, she was also informed that the plane’s schedule for the rest of that day had been cancelled because the airline–fearing that Reinertsen had contracted a virus in Portugal–had taken precautions.

The plane was then parked, and individuals in hazmat suits were deployed in her wake.

In 2024, eight out of nine toilets on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner failed

Airplane lavatory with closed toilet seat and stainless steel sink, highlighting extreme diarrhea emergency landing scenario.

Image credits: Andrej Lišakov/Unsplash

The TikToker’s brush with food poisoning comes over a year after cabin crew on an airborne KLM Boeing 787 Dreamliner realized that it had one working toilet on the entire aircraft.

According to AirLive, attendants discovered the issue shortly after takeoff, and the pilots ruminated for an hour before suggesting turning around.

Woman looking distressed on airplane seat near window, depicting extreme diarrhea causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash

@meghanreinertsen Part 2 of how I personally got a United flight cancelled #storytime#airplane#diarrhea @United Airlines ♬ original sound – Meghan Reinertsen

The aircraft carrying 200 people and destined for Los Angeles would reach British air space before the aviators would take action on said idea–two hours later–“wasting nearly seven hours total in the air.”

The same happened in 2024 when an Airbus A350 was delayed by eight hours

Then in September 2023, a Delta Airlines Airbus A350 was forced to make a U-turn after a passenger left a malodorous trail of diarrhea between their seat and the restroom.

Woman covering her mouth with hand, reacting to extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

Image credits: meghanreinertsen

Cabin crew initially tried to cover and mop up the mess with paper towels and then doused it with air freshener and disinfectant, but as one traveler put it, it only made the cabin “smell of vanilla s**t,” perThe Guardian.

The Delta Airlines flight returned to Atlanta, and everyone was sent off, after which cleaning staff proceeded to sanitize the aircraft for five hours.

@meghanreinertsen Did not have my phone in that bathroom, just vibes and horrors. #storytime#airplane#diarrhea♬ original sound – Meghan Reinertsen

Woman standing near airplane lavatory door, illustrating extreme diarrhea incident causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

Image credits: Andrej Lišakov/Unsplash

Upon completion, everyone, including the traveler with an unstable stomach, was allowed back on, and the plane landed at its destination in Barcelona eight hours behind schedule.

As can be derived from public opinion, having diarrhea is almost everyone’s “worst nightmare”

Comment expressing sympathy about a woman’s extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

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Social media comment reacting to woman’s extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

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Comment about woman’s extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing and flight cancellation with pilot clearance mention.

Social media comment about the worst nightmare of extreme diarrhea on a plane causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

Comment from Amy Jo discussing norovirus symptoms and experience related to extreme diarrhea on a plane incident.

Comment on a social media post discussing a woman’s extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

Social media comment describing a woman’s extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing and flight cancellation.

Social media comment describing extreme diarrhea on a plane causing severe discomfort during a long flight.

Comment on social media post with a cartoon avatar and username "jack was buried alive" discussing a flight emergency caused by a passenger's extreme diarrhea.

Social media comment about being hooked, illustrating public reaction to woman’s extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing.

Comment from former flight attendant explaining training for extreme diarrhea emergencies on plane causing flight disruption.

Comment from flight attendant Leah sharing experience related to extreme diarrhea on plane causing emergency landing.

Comment on social media with colorful avatar and text reading Story telling 100/10, I’m so sorry, with 6635 likes.

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