Passengers on a Virgin Australia flight from Bali to Brisbane had no choice but to pee in bottles after the plane’s toilets stopped working, The Australian reported. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 took off from Denpasar on Thursday afternoon, but trouble began when one rear toilet was already out of order before departure. As the six-hour flight went on, the remaining bathrooms also broke down, leaving travelers stranded without any working lavatories.
The last three hours of the flight were a nightmare, with some passengers forced to pee in bottles while others sat through the discomfort. The cabin soon reeked of urine, making the situation unbearable. Travelers later described the ordeal as ‘humiliating,’ ‘degrading,’ and ‘distressing.’
“One elderly woman was unable to hold on and suffered the humiliation of wetting herself in public,” one passenger told The Australian.
“Midway through the flight, every toilet failed. For the remaining three hours, the cabin crew informed us we would need to relieve ourselves in bottles or ‘on top of whatever was already in the toilet’.”
“Virgin Australia apologized to passengers and thanked the crew for handling the tough situation. The airline also said it will give flight credits to those affected.
A Virgin Australia flight from Denpasar to Brisbane on Thursday evening experienced an issue during the flight which affected the serviceability of the lavatories,” Virgin Australia said in a statement to 7News.
“We sincerely apologise to our guests and thank our crew for managing a challenging situation on board.”
The incident sparked worries about hygiene and safety, with the Australian Transport Workers’ Union calling it a ‘serious risk to both crew and passengers.’