2-Hour-Long Delta Flight Forced To Turn Around Due To Smell From Spoiled Food

A Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City was forced to turn around mid-air after an "unpleasant odour" was detected on board. The smell, which reportedly came from a passenger's spoiled food, led the pilots to divert the aircraft back to Los Angeles. Delta Air Lines flight 2311, operating an Airbus A321neo, was en route to Salt Lake City on October 18 when the issue occurred, reported ABC4. Rather than continuing the nearly two-hour journey with the smell lingering in the cabin, the crew decided to return to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

The spoiled food was brought on board by a passenger and was not related to the airline's catering service, Delta later confirmed. The aircraft was carrying 189 passengers, two pilots, and four flight attendants, all of whom landed safely back at LAX without any incident.

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In a statement to People Magazine, a Delta spokesperson said, "As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, our crew followed standard procedures to safely return to Los Angeles after an unpleasant odour was detected onboard." The airline apologized to passengers for the inconvenience and arranged another flight to Utah.

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This is not the first time Delta has faced a food-related diversion. In July last year, a Detroit-to-Amsterdam flight had to make an emergency landing in New York after passengers were served spoiled in-flight meals. Read more about it here.

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Such incidents serve as a reminder that while flying may be routine, even small factors - like what's in your lunchbox - can lead to unexpected travel detours.