Carrier Says "Poor Conditions" Caused By Flushed Gloves

After a trip that was an assault to the senses, Continental Airlines Inc. is now apologizing to passengers for "poor conditions" during their transatlantic flight from Amsterdam to Newark, NJ.

As ANN reported, more than 200 passengers were subjected to more than bad food and stiff legs recently -- they had to endure seven hours in the air with raw sewage.

"I've never felt so offended in all my life," passenger Collin Brock told Seattle's KING-TV. "I felt like I had been physically abused and neglected. I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours."

Continental spokesman Dave Messing confirmed Thursday there had been an issue with the plane's lavatory during the flight, according to the Associated Press.

The flight left Amsterdam June 12, and made an unscheduled stop in Shannon, Ireland, to fix lavatory problems. That pit stop turned into an overnight stay. The next morning, the passengers boarded the same aircraft and the same problem occurred again shortly after takeoff, confirmed Messing.

After landing in Newark, it was determined the problem was caused by someone flushing latex gloves down the toilet, Messing told the AP.

"We deeply regret the serious inconvenience to our customers and are apologizing to them and compensating them for the poor conditions on the flight as well as the diversion and delay," he wrote in a statement from the Houston-based carrier.

Messing would not reveal the value of the vouchers the carrier distributed to the affected passengers, but Brock told reporters he received a $500 voucher... and that he wasn't sure he'd ever use it.

FMI: www.continental.com