Passenger leaves plane in wheelchair after vomiting '30 times' on 'flight from hell' – Daily Star
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
A British traveller had a six-hour “flight from hell” after he threw up 30 times and had to be rolled away in a wheelchair after eating plane food.
Cameron Callaghan flew with Etihad Airways from Manchester Airport to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi in January ahead of his trip around South East Asia, but he became violently ill.
He said: "It was a flight from hell.
“I had diarrhoea twice and 10 minutes after that I was just constantly throwing up for the duration of the flight.”
The traveller, 27, had an egg sandwich three hours before boarding but was then served a tomato and chicken pasta dish after take-off.
Twenty minutes after eating what he described as “smelly” plane food, he began feeling very unwell. He then had diarrhoea and then threw up “every five minutes” for the rest of the six-hour flight.
The former delivery driver said he “lay in the foetal position” on the airplane bathroom floor and when he wasn’t throwing up, he sat with an air hostess who made sure the cubicle was kept free.
When he arrived at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Cameron said he was so dehydrated he couldn’t even lift his head up.
He said he was then carefully ushered off the plane in a wheelchair before receiving urgent medical care.
Cameron, from Bolton, said: "I believe the food had been sitting out since the original time the plane was supposed to take off and not been stored properly.”
The flight had been delayed for five hours.
Etihad Airways insist they “prepared and stored the food under strict temperature-controlled conditions” and no other passengers who had the same food reported issues.
Cameron was given an IV and anti-sickness drip once he arrived in Abu Dhabi. He said the illness ruined the start of his holiday as he was too weak to walk.
He said: "I just felt like I was going to pass out. I'd fully dehydrated my body by being sick that much.
"The next two or three days after arriving in Bangkok I was just bed bound. It was only on the third day I actually left the hotel and started exploring.”
Cameron has stayed in Thailand since as he doesn’t want to get on another plane.
He wants a partial or full refund for the flight, and an acknowledgement and apology about the food poisoning.
He said: "They've not taken the food poisoning seriously, they've not taken the proper precautions. It's unprofessional how they've handled everything.
"This holiday has been planned for three years and I couldn't enjoy the journey at all. People coming to the toilet and seeing me lying on the floor being sick was embarrassing.
“I'm going to starve myself on the flight back so this doesn't happen again."
An Etihad Airways spokesperson said: "We are aware of the recent report of a passenger falling ill on board our flight from Manchester on 06 January, 2025.
"We take all such matters very seriously and investigate thoroughly.
"Our food on this flight, as with all our flights, was prepared and stored under strict temperature-controlled conditions to ensure safety and quality.
"We did not receive any reports of illness from other passengers on this flight who were served the same meal. Our first priority is always the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew."
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .