An American woman whose violent bout of diarrhoea and vomiting forced the cancellation of a United Airlines flight has spoken publicly about the incident, describing it as “every traveller’s worst nightmare.”
Meghan Reinertsen, a nanny and aspiring actress, revealed to her more than 20 million TikTok viewers that she fell severely ill while flying from Newark, New Jersey, to Indianapolis after returning from Portugal for a film premiere.
She blamed the sudden illness on food poisoning from an undercooked hamburger eaten the night before her trip.
Already feeling unwell at Newark Airport, Reinertsen boarded the plane but soon experienced intense cramps, sweating, and nausea.
Ignoring the seatbelt sign, she rushed to the lavatory, where she endured what she described as “more diarrhoea than any human should have in their life” over a 20-minute stretch.
Her condition worsened when she began vomiting, prompting her to call for help from the cabin crew, who provided a sick bag and allowed her to remain in the toilet for the remainder of the flight. She was even told to “brace for impact” in the lavatory during landing, a rare exception to aviation safety rules.
After arrival in Indianapolis, Reinertsen was escorted off the aircraft in a wheelchair. Crew informed her that the plane’s next scheduled flight had been cancelled so hazmat specialists could disinfect the cabin amid fears she might have brought an infectious illness from Portugal.
The ordeal didn’t end there, she later suffered another episode in her hotel room.
Still, Reinertsen said the embarrassment of grounding an aircraft was far worse. “They cancelled that flight because of me,” she admitted. “I am a biohazard. I am patient zero.”
