The
family of a man who died on board a flight to Miami has sued American
Airlines and the company that provided the in-flight meal, alleging that
airplane food is what caused the passenger’s death. On May 18th, the
man and his wife had flown on American from Barcelona, Spain, to JFK
Airport in New York City. During their transfer to the flight to Miami,
the lawsuit says he felt “discomfort and pain that included sharp
stomach cramps and sudden thirst and other clear outward manifestation
of severe physical illness.” The couple boarded the flight to Miami, but
when he became unresponsive following a cardiac event, the plane made
an emergency landing in Virginia, where the man was pronounced dead.
According to the suit, AA and Sky Chefs failed “to properly maintain or
prepare the food” and alleges the food become tainted by Clostridium
perfringens bacteria, a common cause of foodborne illness, but one that
rarely results in fatalities. The man’s wife and daughter have sued for
more than $1 million from the two companies.
