American Airlines flyer furious at company’s response after drunk passenger vomits all over her luggage

By Olivia Land - New York Post


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An American Airlines passenger says she was horrified when a fellow traveler vomited all over her bags – but what she really couldn’t stomach was the airline’s blasé response.

Nicole Schreib was traveling the second leg of a trip from Buffalo to Miami on Nov. 30 when the alleged culprit sat in the seat in front of her, she told Business Insider.

“She’s slurring her words and can barely talk. This woman should not be on this plane. I was concerned, honestly,” explained Schreib, who was traveling with her fiancé.

She first encountered the woman and two others in the bathroom at Laguardia during her layover, she noted.

“Two of them were walking arm and arm, stumbling drunk, and ran right into me in the bathroom. It was just crazy because it was 7:30 in the morning,” Schreib said. “You don’t expect that at that time.”

After the flight took off, Schreib noticed that the two men seated with the drunk woman had moved seats.

“Then I became aware of a vile smell. I thought, ‘Oh god she must be getting sick,'” she continued.

But it was only as the plane was landing that Schreib reached for the canvas tote bag and purse she stowed under the seat in front of her – and realized that both were covered in the woman’s vomit.

“I couldn’t believe the amount,” Schreib lamented, noting that she did not take pictures of the mess in her rush to clean up.

“You kind of freak out a little bit when someone else’s vomit is on your belongings.”

When she questioned the airline staff about what happened, a flight attendant supposedly told her they “‘can’t do anything about that. It’s bodily fluids, and we can’t touch that,’” Schreib claimed.

A few days later, Schreib – who describes herself on X as a “lawyer, mother, [and] feminist” – emailed American Airlines, but was disappointed by the company’s lackluster response.

“I’m sorry to hear your property was damaged by another passenger. While I can certainly understand your frustration with the situation, unintentional things can and do happen in public spaces,” the email read, according to Business Insider.

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“Although it is unfortunate that you were involved in this situation, we are unable to take responsibility for the actions of another individual,” it concluded.

Schreib told the outlet it was “surprising” to get a response “within an hour.”

“But what was even more surprising was that they took absolutely no responsibility for this,” she said.

After some push-back, American Airlines gave Schreib a $50 voucher — which angered her so much she shared video of the ordeal with the hashtag #americanairfail.

“@AmericanAir allowed this intoxicated, verbally abusive woman on my flight despite removing one of her friends. Here she is calling the two men in her aisle “pu**ies” prior to puking on the floor and my bags – $50 credit is all they offered as compensation,” the miffed post read.

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The 20-second clip is mostly obscured by engine noise, but what appears to be a woman with long hair and her feet propped up on the wall of the plane can be seen.

The airline responded to Schreib’s video by advising her to request a review of her initial claim.

“We strive to provide a positive travel experience for all of our customers, and a member of our team has reached out to learn more,” American Airlines told The Post in a statement Tuesday morning.

Schreib said she has not heard from them since.

“It’s not about the money. It was about taking a little responsibility and actually apologizing for what happened,” she told Business Insider.

But Katy Nastro – a travel expert at Going.com – believes American may be exempted from responsibility.

“When you fly with an airline, you are agreeing to their contract of carriage, which is basically an agreement between you and the airlines based on the fact you bought a ticket,” Nastro told the outlet.

“It should be the responsibility of the airline to deal with this erratic passenger upon boarding, but it isn’t clear whether the cleanliness factor is guaranteed,” she continued.

“A basic level of cleanliness sure, but if another passenger spills a drink, or in this instance gets sick and it invades the space of the other passengers, to my knowledge there is no item in American Airlines contract of carriage that promises anything in return.”

Schreib, for her part, said she will think twice before traveling American Airlines in the future – and “certainly be bringing a bag that is waterproof” on all upcoming flights.