A passenger on a US Airways flight Wednesday from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic was greeted by agents in hazmat suits after he allegedly made a joke about Ebola.
A video uploaded on YouTube by a passenger shows at least four people in blue hazmat suits boarding the flight, which had landed in Punta Cana, and eventually escorting the unidentified man off the plane.
The airline issued the following statement: “US Airways Flight 845 from Philadelphia to Punta Cana was met (Wednesday) by local officials upon landing due to a possible health issue on board. We are following the direction of, and strictly adhering to, all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in place for airlines in response to the Ebola virus. The flight was checked by officials and cleared. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, but the safety of our customers and employees is our first priority.”
At the beginning of the video, a flight attendant is seen addressing the passengers. “It’s going to look worse than it is,” she says, warning of the hazmat suits.
“I’ve done this for 36 years. I think the man that has said this is an idiot,” she says.
As the man is escorted off the plane, he can be heard protesting, “I ain’t from Africa.”
Several passengers booed him.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.