V-Flyer

https://www.airlive.net/alert-virgin-at ... emergency/

Passengers of Virgin Atlantic flight #VS610 from Bridgetown are being held on board the Boeing 747-400 after landing.

The aircraft is parked at a remote area at London Gatwick Airport after it landed at 5.30.

A passenger has reported being held on board for 2 hours after it had landed due to ‘sickness’ on board.

Emergency services have surrounded the aircraft.

More than 100 passengers on board fell ill with sickness, coughing fits and diarrhea.

The passengers are taken to a ‘holding centre’ to be assessed.

A number of passengers on flight #VS610 were ‘quarantined’ after showing signs of ‘coughing sickness’.

Virgin Atlantic said: ‘A number of customers onboard the VS610, which landed at London Gatwick this morning (March 6th) from Barbados, reported feeling unwell.

What cruise ship is the charter from?

article in the express says the ship was the MSC Preziosa

I would put pretty good money on the cruise ship being the likely source of the illness. Even if one or two passengers boarded who were ill (but naughtily keeping it quiet so they could travel), any illness would have to be highly contagious to spread to 100 passengers during the flight.

Also, isn't the cabin of the aircraft sprayed with insecticide in Barbados before departure to kill any bugs that may have flown in through the open cabin door (& possibly be carrying something not-nice)?

As an aside, this does make you wonder how many people knowing fly if they are feeling off / have had diarrhoea in the last 24hrs (especially if travelling on holiday, so it's a trip they want to make)? I bet more than a few ignore advice about diarrhoea when on holiday & visiting waterparks too, i.e. not allowing 24-48 "clear" hours.

Reminds me of a situation we had a few years back...

I was living in Sydney, fiancee in UK. Commuting back and forth a few times a month. Time spent together was short and therefore precious.

OH is a hospital doctor...so gets exposed to everything and anything thats going around. Anyhow, shortly after leaving HKG en route to SYD she got VERY ill. She was sitting in PE next to a chap in his 90's. CC moved him into UC...which we sincerely hope saved him, this bug was not something I think the average 90 year old would cope with (it hospitalised me as a then fit and healthy 28 year old).

As the flight neared SYD the CC began to get increasingly nervous that the whole plane would be quarantined. So instead...their solution was to ply my OH (at this point severely dehydrated and generally in a very bad way and looking like an extra from The Walking Dead) with make-up! Their solution being that as long as she looked ok and could just about stagger through immigration that everything was fine!

I'm guessing that isnt the official VA policy?!

Christo wrote:Reminds me of a situation we had a few years back...

I was living in Sydney, fiancee in UK. Commuting back and forth a few times a month. Time spent together was short and therefore precious.

OH is a hospital doctor...so gets exposed to everything and anything thats going around. Anyhow, shortly after leaving HKG en route to SYD she got VERY ill. She was sitting in PE next to a chap in his 90's. CC moved him into UC...which we sincerely hope saved him, this bug was not something I think the average 90 year old would cope with (it hospitalised me as a then fit and healthy 28 year old).

As the flight neared SYD the CC began to get increasingly nervous that the whole plane would be quarantined. So instead...their solution was to ply my OH (at this point severely dehydrated and generally in a very bad way and looking like an extra from The Walking Dead) with make-up! Their solution being that as long as she looked ok and could just about stagger through immigration that everything was fine!

I'm guessing that isnt the official VA policy?!

I await the tannoy announcement.... "if there is a makeup artist on board would they please identify themselves to a member of the cabin crew"

Kraken wrote:I would put pretty good money on the cruise ship being the likely source of the illness. .

As would I. On our recent Norwegian cruise hand sanitizer dispensers were everywhere, and you were “encouraged” to use them on entering and leaving both meals and the ship. You can see why, as there must be more touching of surfaces (handrails in particular) than normal.

mikethe3rd wrote:
coughing fits and diarrhea.

.

thats a combination i dont ever want

pjh wrote:

Kraken wrote:I would put pretty good money on the cruise ship being the likely source of the illness. .

As would I. On our recent Norwegian cruise hand sanitizer dispensers were everywhere, and you were “encouraged” to use them on entering and leaving both meals and the ship. You can see why, as there must be more touching of surfaces (handrails in particular) than normal.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have sanitizers everywhere. On RCCL you could not enter the main buffet without washing your hands...