US Airways' Ebola scare was simply a practical joke in very poor taste, as a man flying from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic decided it would be hilarious to sneeze and cough while telling everyone in the plane he had the disease. US Airways' Ebola-free passenger just turned out to be a prankster, but still kept fellow travelers locked inside the plane for 2 hours as a safeguard measure.
The passenger's practical joke led to an US Airways Ebola scare earlier this week, when Flight 845 was held in isolation after landing in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, last Wednesday.
According to ABC News, a man on the flight started sneezing and coughing and claimed to have the disease, giving US Airways an Ebola scare of epic proportions. During the flight, one of the flight attendants heard the man saying he had Ebola and informed the captain, who in turn told the land authorities about the case - this caused the plane to be quarantined upon landing, with the passenger being taken in for examination at the Punta Cana airport.
The incident was certainly no laughing matter to anyone involved, except obviously for the man who decided to give crew and passengers a big scare. He spent the entire four-hour journey from Philadelphia to Punta Cana coughing and sneezing, both early signs of the disease. Upon landing, as he was being escorted off the plane by Punta Cana officials, the man declared "I ain't from Africa."
Of course, test results showed the man didn't have Ebola but rather a common flu, and the crew and passengers aboard the flight were finally allowed to leave the aircraft.
Regarding the incident, the airline released a statement: "US Airways flight 845 from Philadelphia to Punta Cana was met yesterday by local officials upon landing due to a possible health issue on board. We are following the direction of, and strictly adhering to, all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines in place for airlines in response to the Ebola virus. The flight was checked by officials and cleared. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused but the safety of our customers and employees is our first priority."
