Emirates responds after backpacker suffers 'worst flight ever' with sickness and diarrhoea for 15 hours
Emirates has responded after a backpacker suffered the 'worst flight ever' with sickness and diarrhoea for 15 whole hours.
The woman was left in tears on what turned out to be the flight from hell after an item on the menu left her battling with a pretty gnarly reaction for over half a day.
Chloë Chapdelaine, 25, suffers from coeliac disease, and made sure to order a gluten-free in-flight meal during her flight from Dubai to Los Angeles last week (5 June).
Advert
However, it was just one hour into the slog of a 15-hour-long journey when everything took a turn for the worst.
The Canadian content creator was served what appeared to be a gluten-free continental brekky which arrived on a tray labelled 'gluten free'.
Part of the breakfast included a croissant - which didn’t have a gluten-free sticker - which Chloë ate half of under the impression it was, in fact, gluten-free.
Upon checking the status of the pastry with a flight attendant, the Emirates worker returned and confirmed the product wasn’t gluten-free.
After awful experience, Chloë has since taken to TikTok to share with her followers exactly what followed after that fateful error.
Speaking in a video from inside the cabin's bathroom, the woman explained she was suffering from nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and itchy skin.
She also disclosed she’ll have to cope with the 'mental repercussions' of what happened for two weeks, which include symptoms of brain fog and feeling depressed.
Recalling the moment, Chloë said she had a ‘really bad feeling’ as soon as she started eating the croissant.
"I then questioned why they would have such a good gluten-free brand on a flight and this is when I questioned whether it was actually gluten-free to a flight attendant," she continued.
"She [the air hostess] went pale and went to check and she came back and told me it wasn't meant to be on my plate and it wasn't gluten-free."
The content creator carried on: "Immediately I went into shock and started to panic.
"I am very highly sensitive and my coeliac disease will react to a trace amount or cross-contamination.
"To be told I had eaten half a non-gluten-free croissant, which is quite a large amount and bigger than what I have reacted to in the past, was really scary for me."
"I didn't know how I was going to react," she added.
After realising the sheer gravity of the situation, which she has described as a 'moment of panic', Chloë rushed to the plane's toilets.
She said: "I went to the bathroom and made myself physically sick and was in there for about an hour throwing up, which was horrible,” she continued.
"I knew if I didn't do this it would cause my body a lot more damage."
She added that things only 'got worse from there' with symptoms like 'really bad' stomach cramping, diarrhoea, nausea and itchy skin following.
Chloë said she had not eaten gluten in almost nine years after being diagnosed with coeliac disease and is now calling for airlines to take allergies and intolerances on flights more seriously, believing coeliac disease is not 'taken as seriously' as nut allergies sometimes.
"I just hope the airlines specifically take allergies or just medical conditions seriously when it comes to serving people food on planes because it can have lasting effects for lots of people," she said.
Emirates has since issued a response on the matter, telling Tyla: "We are disappointed to hear Ms. Chapdelaine’s complaint."
The statement continued: "Emirates aims to cater to all passenger specific needs by offering a number of special meals that cover as many medical, dietary and religious requirements as possible.
"The safety and health of our customers is taken very seriously."
The airline added that Chloë has since 'reached out' to the Emirates Customer Affairs team following the traumatic fiasco.
"We are investigating the issue," the statement concluded.
Topics: News, Travel, Food And Drink, Health, TikTok
Rhiannon Ingle