Virgin Atlantic Responds After Travelers Say Their Luggage Was Covered In 'Poo'

Virgin Atlantic has issued a response after several upset passengers claimed their luggage showed up smeared with feces-like material.

Let’s be honest—dealing with luggage drama is one of the biggest headaches when it comes to traveling. Whether your bag disappears or it turns up damaged, it’s definitely not a great way to kick off a holiday.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what some Virgin Atlantic travelers went through after arriving at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 14.

While the passengers were relieved to see their luggage eventually show up, the relief didn’t last long. As the bags began to roll out onto the carousel, people started noticing a really strange smell in the air. When they got a closer look, they spotted that several suitcases were stained with a brown-colored mess.

Given both the scent and the appearance, it didn’t take long for people to jump to conclusions. Many were convinced their bags had been doused in human waste.

One frustrated passenger shared their experience in a now-deleted TikTok video, saying, according to the Mail Online: "You arrive in New York on a Virgin Atlantic flight and they've emptied the plane toilet (poo and wee) on your suitcase."

Virgin Atlantic passengers weren't pleased about how their luggage arrived Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

She added in the video: "I literally went into shock. I couldn't believe my eyes and nose."

Another traveler who also flew with Virgin Atlantic turned to Twitter to express their anger over what happened.

This person posted photos of their luggage and wrote: "@VirginAtlantic you are sh*t! literally! How are all these bags covered in human sh*t! Floor staff saying they can't provide wipes, new bags or hand sanitizer and that we have to 'write an email to customer team'. All my clothes destroyed as I have a fabric bag."

In response to the public backlash, Virgin Atlantic released a statement clarifying that the brown substance wasn’t actually feces. Instead, they claimed it was grease that had leaked from a damaged pipe within the airport terminal building.

"We're aware of a New York JFK system failure that affected the baggage of a small number of arriving customers on July 14." a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told Mail Online.

"We're working closely with the team at JFK and local authorities to ensure the issue is resolved. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to affected customers."

This messy situation comes not long after scientists sounded the alarm about how dirty suitcases can be. Apparently, they can carry way more bacteria than most people realize—some even dirtier than toilet seats.

Researchers from InsureandGo took samples from both soft-shell and hard-shell suitcase wheels and bases at a London airport rail station to find out just how contaminated they really are.

The results were eye-opening. On average, suitcase wheels had around 400 bacterial colonies per three square centimeters. In comparison, toilet seats had just 10 in the same space.

Soft-shell bags seemed to be the worst offenders when it comes to holding onto bacteria, mainly because their fabric surfaces trap dirt and moisture more easily than hard cases.