Can this trip be saved? Soaked on my way to LAX

Avoid seat 32J if you’re flying Air Pacific between Fiji and Los Angeles. Jimme Peters had the misfortune of being stuck in it for the 11-hour flight, and she’s got the scars to prove it.

A vent over 32J is leaking, according to Peters — badly.

The signs of trouble started the moment she boarded. “I noticed paper towels stuffed in the air vents over the top of my seat,” she remembers. “The flight crew came through while everyone was boarding and would dab the water on the ceiling and replace the napkins.”

Occasionally, I would feel a drip, but the flight attendant apologized stating that the air conditioning caused condensation and it would cease upon taking off. I thought it was not a big deal and seemed like a reasonable explanation, so I did not think much about it.

It became a big deal after the flight took off.

A large amount of water dumped on my head, body, floor, and seat until the plane leveled out at altitude. I held a blanket over my head to try to shield my face from the smelly water, but this was lost cause. The water was running through the blanket down my arms and all over my head and torso.

The water soaked me clear through all my clothes and shoes. It was like taking a dirty water shower in my seat with my clothes on. My makeup was running down my face, hair was soaked, and I was just miserable.

I was captive in my seat for about 15 minutes as the seat belt sign was on and all passengers and crew had to remain seated.

Since the crew was seated right behind me, they were well aware of what was happening.

After the “fasten seat belt sign” was switched off, the flight attendants came over and apologized for the wetness, but because the flight was completely full, there wasn’t much they could do.

“The flight attendant stated that the plane is in disrepair, they have reported the leaking issue many times and this was not the first incident where a passenger experienced a big, wet mess,” she says.

Eventually, the attendants found an empty seat for her. But the damage was already done.

Since the flight, my life has been upended and I have suffered from illness.

I have been sick for more than a week with a head cold, congestion and sore throat that caused me to lose my voice. This is a result of being
soaked from filthy water in an air conditioning pump for this horrendous ten hour flight all the while re-circulated air was passing over me.

I sought a doctor’s care mid-last week and was told to rest and take cold medicine, my body would have to expel the infection over time.

This experience has made my Fiji trip memorable, in a bad way. My jacket was ruined from the water as it was dry clean only clothing. My Italian leather sandals are also misshapen and destroyed from the mass influx of water.

So why would Air Pacific continue to operate a plane that was leaking? Good question, and it’s one Peters asked of the airline in a polite email.

Air Pacific hasn’t responded, even though the flight took place in early May.

I think we can all agree that an airline ticket entitles you to a dry seat on a plane. But what, if anything, does Air Pacific owe her?

At a minimum, I think it should respond to her email and explain what happened to 32J, and maybe assure her the problem has been fixed. I think she should submit a bill for her jacket and sandals, if she hasn’t already.

Here’s how an airline would see this mess, and why I’m doubtful the carrier will offer a meaningful response. We sold you a seat between Fiji and Los Angeles, and we got you there. We offered you a better seat when the one you were sitting in got a little wet. What more do you want?

And so all of that makes me wonder if this is a case I should — or could — mediate.

(Photo: iamb ents/Flickr Creative Commons)

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  • Guest

    I was under the impression colds were caused by viruses.  Not being wet.  What a whiner.

  • Mimsy

    I doubt she would be completely soaked from “a constant drip.”  From what the letter said, it was a FLOW of water.  I would certainly say that would cause an illness.  If the water was dirty (it usually is) then I’m not surprised at infection either.

  • DavidZ

    If there’s one thing I learned in life, it’s that things aren’t always as obvious as one tends or likes to believe.

    I asked what exactly does she want so that she can tell that directly to Air Pacific or whoever she wants to complain to.

  • DavidZ

    If there’s one thing I learned in life, it’s that things aren’t always as obvious as one tends or likes to believe.

    I asked what exactly does she want so that she can tell that directly to Air Pacific or whoever she wants to complain to.

  • DavidZ

    Absolutely. But…that’s a big if.

    Sadly, we might never even really know. Sigh…

  • Steve R

    Everyone saying that the passenger sounds like a drama queen is right, but IMHO that’s irrelevant in this case. She isn’t complaining about a minor issue that is arguably not the airline’s fault, like if a flight attendant had accidentally spilled a cup of water on her. She’s complaining about being soaked by filthy water pouring out from a leak that the airline knew about well in advance of the flight and opted not to fix.

    I think she’s entitled to a full refund, period. I don’t know if she deserves anything more, but I would love to see her complain to the FAA about Air Pacific apparently operating planes with maintenance issues. I imagine doing that would cost them more than anything they’d give her anyway.

  • DavidS

    I think the issue is the letter to the airline.

    A well worded letter will probably get her a refund and damages. No drama or threats of lawsuits, just describe the incident, the fact airline employees knew about the problem in advance, and the damages.

    Tally up the ticket cost, cleaning and medical bills. See what happens and then go to next step.

  • flutiefan

    why do you keep asking that? the readers are asking legitimate questions.

  • flutiefan

    why do you keep asking that? the readers are asking legitimate questions.

  • flutiefan

    why do you keep asking that? the readers are asking legitimate questions.

  • flutiefan

    why do you keep asking that? the readers are asking legitimate questions.

  • flutiefan

    why do you keep asking that? the readers are asking legitimate questions.

  • Sadie Cee

    Let me tell you about “nasty bugs.”  Returned from a tropical vacation with one.  I was not able to work for three months on my return and there was nothing that the doctor could do.  The bacterial infection had to run its course. 

    The tragedy was that at that time I was self-employed and had no income for that period of time.  I would say that my life had been upended and I can fully understand what the OP went through.  It was not the water per se that made the OP ill but the bacteria that it contained.  Someone referred to Legionnaire’s disease above.  Those of us who are old enough to recall will remember that at the time the public health authorities were totally mystified as to why people were dying. The deaths were finally traced to contaminated air that was dispersed into hotel rooms from contaminated air conditioning units.

  • Ckbtvl

    This is a legal issue that needs the attention of an attourney. You do a great job of inturpretting issues that make no sense. But this is a safety issue with an international airline. Stay away and work with all of our domestic squabbles.

  • Service Air Pacific

     

     On
    behalf of Air Pacific, it is sincerely regretful to see that this situation has
    made itself public and in a context that doesn’t reflect the full circumstances
    of the situation or communications between Ms. Peters and the airline.

     

    Air
    Pacific prides itself on the care and attention given to customers on
    board. We take precautions to ensure a positive flight experience for all
    of our valued passengers. When something doesn’t go smoothly in-flight, we are
    sincerely regretful and make it a priority to resolve the situation favorably
    and amicably.

     

    As
    with any claim, the airline needs to verify the situation. We know the
    appearance of water droplets is not an uncommon occurrence when jet aircraft
    depart from a hot humid airport like Fiji and efforts to minimize are part of
    the maintenance program. Air Pacific checked the voyage report and contacted
    the operating crew on Ms. Peters’ flight to determine the extent of the
    moisture and water droplets released and in this process we could not find
    evidence that any passenger was soaked to the extent as indicated by Ms.
    Peters.  

     

    Nevertheless,
    Air Pacific did indeed respond to Ms. Peters’ claim and also requested a
    medical report from her doctor for review in order to assess any refund of her
    medical costs. We also requested her doctor’s contact details to validate the
    information for any required further action.

     

    Unfortunately,
    the only response Air Pacific received from Ms Peters was that she would
    dedicate her efforts to denounce Air Pacific in the public space.  We
    regret the investigative and resolution process in this case has not been a
    cooperative one. We will again contact Ms Peters and attempt to retrieve the
    required information in order to ensure this situation is resolved.

     

    Sincerely,
    Manager, Air Pacific Guest Services

  • Squiggy27

    This same thing happened to my father on a flight on Spirit Airlines.  He was flying for a less than 24hr trip so he didn’t have a lot of clothing options.

    The Spirit flight attendants said this happens on every take-off as if it was no big deal and brought him a couple napkins (not nearly enough to help him since he was drenched).

    Spirit declined to respond to his complaint. 

    Although, that may be a good thing since knowing Spirit I bet they’d send him a bill for the extra napkins. 

  • Squiggy27

    This same thing happened to my father on a flight on Spirit Airlines.  He was flying for a less than 24hr trip so he didn’t have a lot of clothing options.

    The Spirit flight attendants said this happens on every take-off as if it was no big deal and brought him a couple napkins (not nearly enough to help him since he was drenched).

    Spirit declined to respond to his complaint. 

    Although, that may be a good thing since knowing Spirit I bet they’d send him a bill for the extra napkins. 

  • Enatru

    he didn’t pay the “dry seat” hidden fee, for sure. 

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