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Passengers shocked after ‘human waste' smelling sludge covers luggage

Passengers shocked after ‘human waste' smelling sludge covers luggage

News.com.au21-07-2025
Virgin Atlantic passengers have been left horrified after their luggage touched down in New York covered in a mysterious brown sludge.
Passengers landing in John F. Kennedy International Airport earlier this week were greeted with a putrid smell as their sludge-covered luggage made its way out on the carousel.
'You arrive in New York on a Virgin Atlantic flight and they've emptied the plane toilet (poo and wee) on your suitcase,' traveller Sosan wrote in the now-viral footage.
'It was the worst thing I've ever smelt in my life. They didn't even tell us.
'There were children with poo all over them,' she added
In the clip, multiple suitcases on-board the flight from London can be seen making their way around the carousel splattered in the brown substance.
Naturally, viewers were horrified by the sight.
'This is a biohazard. Disgusting,' wrote one.
'This is a class-action lawsuit waiting to happen,' said another.
'I would've screamed, thrown up, and then sued,' said a third.
In a separate post, Sosan shared messages from other passengers who had reached out to her following the clip.
'I was on the Virgin flight too. Did you get in touch with them? I spoke with someone and they are reimbursing my belongings and gave me some miles,' wrote one.
'I can't believe this happened. The whole room smelt like faeces, I can't imagine it was grease,' they added.
Another furious passenger took to X to slam the airline, branding them 'literal s**t.'
'How are all these bags covered in human s**t! Floor staff saying they can't provide wipes, new bags or hand sanitiser and that we have to 'write an email to the customer team'. All my clothes are destroyed as I have a fabric bag,' they wrote, alongside pictures of their destroyed luggage.
In a statement to news.com.au, Virgin Atlantic said the substance was grease from a broken pipe in the terminal.
'We're aware of a New York JFK system failure that affected the baggage of a small number of arriving customers on July 14,' a spokesperson said.
'We're working closely with the team at JFK and local authorities to ensure the issue is resolved. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to affected customers.'
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