What was meant to be a routine flight out of Indianapolis ended in chaos when one passenger’s sudden bout of severe diarrhea forced the airline to cancel the journey and call in hazmat crews for an emergency cleanup.
The passenger, 25-year-old Meghan Reinertsen, says the ordeal was both humiliating and unforgettable. A frequent flyer, nanny, and aspiring actress, Reinertsen was returning to the United States from Portugal when she was struck by intense stomach pains shortly before takeoff.
“I single-handedly got a flight out of Indianapolis cancelled,” she admitted to her more than 20 million TikTok viewers. “If that flight cancellation changed the trajectory of your life in a really negative way, I’m so sorry.”
“But it wasn’t without pain and suffering,” she added.
Reinertsen believes the incident stemmed from food poisoning, likely triggered by an undercooked hamburger she ate the night before. “Something is brewing,” she recalled thinking. “Something is happening that I am not prepared to deal with.”
By the time the plane boarded, her condition had rapidly worsened. “I’m full body sweating, I’m crying, my insides are cramping,” she said. Terrified she might have an accident in her seat, she rushed to the lavatory despite the seatbelt sign being on.
“I couldn’t let that happen to me,” Reinertsen explained. “For the next 20 minutes, I have more diarrhea than any human should have in their life.”
Her illness quickly escalated. Trapped in the cramped airplane bathroom, she began vomiting as well, forcing her to call a flight attendant for help. Crew members provided her with a bag and allowed her to remain in the lavatory for the rest of the journey.
When the plane landed, Reinertsen was escorted off in a wheelchair. She later learned from a flight attendant that the aircraft’s next scheduled trip had been canceled altogether so the plane could undergo a full hazmat cleaning.
“They canceled that flight because of me. The hazmat team had to come in and clean it, because they didn’t know if I’d brought a disease back from Portugal,” she said. “I am a biohazard. I am patient zero.”
The ordeal didn’t end at the airport. Later that night, Reinertsen suffered another episode of diarrhea in her hotel bed. Still, she maintains that nothing compared to the shame of disrupting an entire flight.
@meghanreinertsen Part 1 of how I personally got a United flight cancelled #storytime #airplane #diarrhea @United Airlines ♬ original sound – Meghan Reinertsen
While food poisoning is rarely life-threatening, experts warn that symptoms like sudden diarrhea and vomiting can strike without warning. Reinertsen’s case is one of several recent airborne health scares — including a Delta flight from Detroit to Amsterdam that was diverted after passengers reportedly fell ill from spoiled food.
For Reinertsen, the experience remains unforgettable — and one she says she never wants to relive.
