United Airlines plane taken out of service for thorough cleaning after 25 passengers felt unwell during the flight
The sick passengers, who flew from Vancouver to Houston, were on the same cruise ship, the airline told PEOPLE.
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Stock image of a United Airlines airplane
A United Airlines flight from Vancouver to Houston was grounded and subjected to a thorough cleaning on Friday, May 31, after several passengers experienced nausea.
A United spokesperson told PEOPLE that the passengers on Flight 1528 who were “unwell” were on the same cruise ship.
“United Airlines is actively working with health authorities to manage the situation,” the airline said in a statement. “As a precautionary measure, the aircraft will be taken out of service and undergo a thorough cleaning before returning to service.”
“Ensuring the health and safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority,” the statement continued.
There were a total of 163 passengers and six crew members on board the aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
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Martee Black, spokeswoman for the Houston Fire Department, told PEOPLE that of 75 passengers on a cruise in Vancouver, 25 “became sick due to the cruise” and complained of nausea.
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George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston
When the flight landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Texas at 6:20 p.m. on Friday, Houston Fire Department officials arrived and examined three patients.
No one was taken to the emergency room, Black added.
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Neither the airline nor the fire department disclosed which cruise the sick passengers had taken part in.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said USA Today A statement said: “Health officials from CDC’s Houston Port Health Station worked with emergency services to evaluate sick passengers on board.”
“Most of the ill passengers reported mild gastrointestinal symptoms,” the CDC statement continued. “No passengers were diagnosed with fever during the flight or during the health screening upon landing. None of the passengers met CDC criteria for further health screening. Passengers on the flight continued with their travel plans.”
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