Plane passenger finds seat's floor soaked in blood
An airplane passenger traveling from Paris to Toronto found his feet on the carpet soaking in blood.
CNN International reported that Habib Battah, a journalist based in Beirut, was traveling with his wife and their two cats via Air France when he noticed a strange smell coming from the footwell under their seats shortly after takeoff.
“It was our first time traveling with the cats, and I was thinking, ‘Oh god, they’ve had an accident, I’m so embarrassed,”’ Battah told the media outlet.
But as it turned out, it wasn't the doing of the "poor cats" as they were "totally fine" according to Battah.
He then spotted a damp spot on the floor under the cat carriers, described as about 20 inches long and wide, according to CNN.
His wife handed him wet wipes, and when he started wiping, there was red color.
The blood reportedly came from a previous passenger who experienced a "hemorrhage" according to what the plane crew heard, Battah said. The passenger reportedly survived.
The pilot asked to sanitize the area for the plane’s trip back to Paris, but the cleaners overlooked the floor.
Battah and his wife were given “two small bottles of Evian water” as redress. They're also given two blankets to put on the floor, with powder to soak up the blood according to CNN.
They, however, were unable to change seats as the flight was fully booked.
“We had to sit there smelling the blood for the next seven hours,” Battah recalled. “I’d taken my shoes off at the start of the flight, and there was blood on my socks.”
Air France informed Battah three days later that the stain was blood and, apparently, feces.
The airline said it “understands and regrets the inconvenience caused by this situation” and that it was in touch with Battah, according to CNN.
“I’ve been covering Beirut for 20 years as a journalist,” Battah is quoted as saying. “I’ve lived through wars, airstrikes, seen assassinations, car bombs, and narrowly survived the port explosion. I thought I’d seen it all. I didn’t expect to find more blood than I’ve seen in Beirut on an Air France plane.”
Battah recalled the harrowing incident in a Twitter thread and is reportedly talking to lawyers.
He said Air France also offered to have the cats washed and suggested a $500 (almost P28,000) voucher, but declined their offer.
“I don’t think it’s right, I think it’s a serious biohazard and should be investigated thoroughly. I don’t want to be shushed with some change," he told CNN.
"Our airfare cost $2,500 (over P139,000)–is a 20% discount worth sitting in blood and feces for? I think it was gross negligence and someone should be held accountable," he said.