The flight was delayed by 12 hours.
A Los Angeles-New York American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Phoenix after passengers saw lice crawling in a woman's hair mid-air. A passenger on the flight, Ethan Judelson, shared his experience on TikTok, describing the confusion and uncertainty among passengers. He said that the crew provided minimal information about the diversion, leaving passengers puzzled. According to People, the incident happened in June.
In his video, Mr Judelson described the scene: "I look around, no one's on the ground, no one's freaking out. I'm like, it can't be that dire. But we land, and as soon as we land, this woman across the aisle from me shoots up and rushes to the front of the plane."
After the plane made an emergency landing, Mr Judelson overheard hushed conversations among fellow passengers. According to eyewitnesses, two passengers had spotted lice crawling out of a woman's hair, prompting them to alert the flight attendants.
"Apparently those two girls, they saw bugs crawling out of the woman's hair ... and alerted the flight attendant," Mr Judelson said in the TikTok video.
Upon landing, passengers were informed of a 12-hour delay and were given hotel vouchers.
"Right when we land in Phoenix we all get the email saying, 'Here's your voucher for the hotel.' And we're like, 'Hotel, are we staying here?' Mr Judelson, added.
American Airlines later issued a statement confirming that the flight was diverted due to a medical emergency.
In a statement issued to People, a spokesperson for American Airlines said, "On June 15, American Airlines flight 2201 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) diverted to Phoenix (PHX) due to the medical needs of a customer."
Fortunately, the passengers did eventually make it to Los Angeles.