8 Recent Airline Lawsuits That Read Like Travel Nightmares
8 Recent Airline Lawsuits That Read Like Travel Nightmares
Chalabala/iStock
https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/shocking-lawsuits-filed-against-airlines-by-passengers
From allergic reactions to wrongful death, passengers have taken carriers to court for a variety of reasons.
Airlines are no strangers to lawsuits. From discrimination to negligence, carriers often find themselves embroiled in legal battles with passengers. It’s common for airlines to take responsibility for routine issues such as lost luggage, damaged mobility devices, delays, and cancellations. But when they refuse to compensate passengers or make things right, court filings often tell the story—and capture passenger grievances—in vivid detail. In many of these cases, airlines have been accused of causing significant harm to passengers, offering a sobering look at how things can go wrong while flying.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE AIRLINES
1 OF 8
Former Child Pop Star Sues Singapore Airlines for Wooden Splinter in Throat
Former pop star Briohny Smyth filed a lawsuit against Singapore Airlines on July 24, seeking compensation for an incident that allegedly occurred two years ago. Smyth, who is now a yoga instructor, was traveling to Los Angeles when she allegedly swallowed a wooden splinter from her in-flight meal. According to the complaint, a chicken satay meal served on the flight included skewers, and a splinter from one became lodged in her throat.
She experienced violent coughing, pain, and choking during the flight and suffered emotional distress while trying to dislodge the splinter, the complaint alleges. Although she eventually managed to expel it, she continued to experience “persistent throat discomfort, vocal fatigue, raspiness, tightness, and pain with prolonged speaking and singing.”
The lawsuit states that Smyth relies on her voice for her livelihood as a singer and speaker. As a result of the incident, she alleges she has suffered bodily injury, flying anxiety, and a loss of earning capacity. Smyth is seeking damages for medical expenses, emotional distress, lost earnings, and legal costs.
PHOTO: HANANEKO STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
2 OF 8
Passengers Sue United and Delta for Windowless Window Seat
Window and aisle seats are highly sought after on flights, so much so that many passengers pay extra to avoid being stuck in the middle. But some aircraft don’t have an actual window at every window seat because of electrical conduits or air-conditioning ducts. Ryanair has notoriously mocked passengers who complain about it online.
Some airlines disclose that certain window seats are, in fact, windowless before passengers book them. But United and Delta do not provide that information during the booking process, which led to a proposed class action lawsuit against both carriers. According to the complaint, passengers would not have selected those seats—let alone paid extra for them—had they known there was no window.
United argued in federal court in San Francisco that a window seat refers to the seat’s location rather than the presence of a window, and sought to have the case dismissed. But a federal judge rejected that argument this year, allowing the case to move forward. Delta has also sought to dismiss the case in New York.
PHOTO: HAIREM/SHUTTERSTOCK
3 OF 8
Lawsuit Against Delta for Turbulent Flight That Caused Hospitalizations
Last year, a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam encountered severe turbulence that injured multiple people and sent several passengers to the hospital. In June of this year, 20 passengers on that flight filed a lawsuit against the airline, alleging it knowingly continued into dangerous weather conditions.
The lawsuit claims Delta had warnings about the weather but that the flight crew ignored them and remained on the planned flight path. It also alleges that after approximately 2 1/2 minutes of severe turbulence that threw passengers into the aircraft’s ceiling, the pilots did not return to Salt Lake City or divert to Denver. Instead, the complaint says they continued flying for another 90 minutes before diverting to Minnesota, a Delta hub, to save money. The lawsuit also alleges the seat belt sign was not illuminated when the turbulence occurred and that passengers and crew members suffered spinal injuries, head injuries, broken bones, and concussions.
PHOTO: ARKIN SI/UNSPLASH
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Qatar Airways Taken to Court After Teen Dies of Allergic Reaction
The family of 16-year-old Jason Hu is suing Qatar Airways after he died aboard a flight to New York City. Hu was traveling with his father, Eric, and sister, Erica, in August 2024 when he was served a sandwich that allegedly triggered a severe allergic reaction. According to the lawsuit, the crew had been informed that Hu was allergic to dairy, peanuts, and fish and assured the family that the sandwich was safe to eat. Soon after eating, however, he began experiencing breathing difficulties. A nebulizer did not help, and the crew administered an injection that also failed to provide relief. The lawsuit further alleges that the aircraft’s oxygen tank was not operational. Hu died during the flight and was pronounced dead after the aircraft landed at New York’s JFK Airport.
His father has filed a lawsuit against Qatar Airways and travel safety company MedAire, seeking damages and a jury trial.
PHOTO: JOHN MCARTHUR/UNSPLASH
5 OF 8
Korean Air Sued for Wrongful Death
In 2024, Porscha Tynisha Brown was flying from Washington to Incheon on a Korean Air flight when she experienced respiratory distress. She died during the flight, and her estate is now suing the airline.
The lawsuit, filed in Virginia, alleges that Brown became ill about 12 hours into the flight and collapsed after saying “I can’t breathe” to her companions and crew members. According to the complaint, the crew provided an oxygen mask that was not connected to an oxygen supply. The lawsuit also alleges that passengers were unable to operate the equipment, crew members failed to assist effectively and delayed diverting the flight by not communicating the severity of the emergency. The flight was eventually diverted to Osaka, where Brown was pronounced dead.
The estate is seeking damages for wrongful death, pain and suffering, lost future earnings and the profound loss suffered by her family.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF AMERICAN AIRLINES
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Family Sued American Airlines for Bumping 4-Year-Old
Last year, American Airlines told a family of six that one member would have to be bumped from their flight—and allegedly decided it would be their 4-year-old child. The family claims this happened after informing airline staff that Coby Stewart was a military veteran and that his wife, Emily, is deaf. They filed a lawsuit against the airline earlier this year.
The Louisiana family—Coby and Emily Stewart and their four children, ages 4 to 11—were traveling to Orlando for a Disney vacation. The parents had purchased preferred seats and arrived at the airport two hours before departure. According to the lawsuit, Coby told the gate agent that he was a military veteran and served as his wife’s interpreter because she is deaf. The gate agent then informed the family that the flight was full and that one of them would have to take a later flight. Coby explained that the family could not be separated because Emily relied on him for communication assistance, but the complaint alleges his concerns were ignored. Instead, the airline allegedly prepared to remove their 4-year-old from the flight, prompting Coby to volunteer to take a later flight with his son.
While traveling to another airport about 90 minutes away, Coby was allegedly informed that the original flight was not actually full and that the $1,200 travel voucher he had been offered would be rescinded. The family’s lawsuit seeks damages for emotional distress, anxiety and court costs.
PHOTO: LEONARD ZHUKOVSKY/SHUTTERSTOCK
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Passenger Took JetBlue to Court After Giving Dry Ice For Swelling
In March, a passenger filed a lawsuit against JetBlue, alleging the airline provided her with dry ice instead of regular ice to treat swelling. Patricia Matzenbacher was traveling from Paris to New York in March 2025 when she requested ice for her swollen leg. The crew allegedly provided dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide, instead.
Dry ice is typically used for industrial refrigeration and is significantly colder than regular ice. Direct contact with dry ice can cause severe burns. The lawsuit alleges that Matzenbacher suffered permanent bodily injuries as a result of the airline’s negligence. She is seeking damages and a jury trial.
PHOTO: ALAN ANGELATS/UNSPLASH
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Woman Sued Lufthansa for Rushing Her Down Wet Stairs
A Discover Airlines (subsidiary of Lufthansa) flight attendant allegedly rushed a passenger off an aircraft, causing her to slip down wet stairs on the tarmac. Patricia Gussner was flying from Philadelphia to Frankfurt with her daughter last year when the incident occurred.
According to the lawsuit filed this year, heavy rain was falling when the aircraft arrived, and the airline did not have an air bridge available. Instead, passengers had to use airstairs to exit the plane. Gussner stopped at the top of the stairs to assess how to safely descend the wet steps, which the lawsuit alleges had handrails without anti-slip guards. A flight attendant then rushed her to continue disembarking as other passengers waited behind her. Gussner fell down the stairs and sustained “a concussion, fractures of the clavicle and sternum, a cardiac contusion, and multiple other wounds.”
She spent two weeks hospitalized in Germany. During her medical flight back to the U.S., she experienced distress and the aircraft diverted to Ireland. The lawsuit alleges she required additional treatment there due to an infection and had to remain abroad for six weeks because of injuries and complications from the fall.
Patricia and her husband, Paul, are seeking damages from Lufthansa and Discover Airlines, alleging that her injuries are permanent and continue to affect their lives.
Why Now Might Be the Best Time in Years to Visit Waikiki
Engel Ching/iStock
https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/hawaii/experiences/news/why-waikk-feels-less-crowded-than-everand-whats-behind-the-change
Waikīkī is noticeably quieter than before the pandemic as Japanese tourism struggles to recover. Here's why fewer crowds are changing Hawaiʻi's most famous beach destination.
I visited Waikīkī in April, and it was the quietest I’ve ever seen it.
Aside from a handful of busier weekend evenings with a couple of banner events translating into a wait for a table at Halekulani’s iconic House Without a Key, the traffic up and down the Kalākaua retail strip was distinctly muted compared to days past. No lines at Louis Vuitton—no throngs of shoppers buying Aloha shirts or hula Hello Kitty merch.
Hawai’i’s ABC affiliate KITV reported Tuesday that a weak Japanese yen compared to the dollar is responsible for much of the calm. While visitation to Waikīkī has mostly recovered since 2019—the previous high-water mark for inbound tourism—the recovery has largely been dependent on U.S. domestic visitors. Visitors from Japan are still only around half what they were in 2019, Eric Takahata, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s Managing Director for Japan, told KITV.
“It’s easily 40% to 50% more [expensive for Japanese visitors] to travel here now than it was in 2019,” says Takahata.
The sustained drop and slower recovery of visitors from Japan means that many of the businesses that were most popular among that segment have found their situations untenable. The luxury duty-free retailer DFS Group announced in January it would end all Hawai‘i operations by the end of August, closing stores in Waikīkī and at the Honolulu and Kahului airports. The Honolulu airport store in particular was the oldest duty-free shop in the United States, first opened in 1962.
The remaining visitors from Japan are also spending less than they were a decade ago. In 2013, Japan represented a premium visitor market, with visitors from Japan outspending their U.S. counterparts by over 80%. Now, the trend has flipped: U.S. per capita visitor spend is nearing that of Japan in 2013, while per capita visitor spend from Japan is down 13%, and total visitor numbers are also down.
Some Japanese visitors told KITV they were impacted by the currency fluctuations, but came to Hawai‘i because they loved it, finding ways to save money, such as cooking their own meals and sticking to lower-cost activities like beach days. Many Japanese visitors, however, are finding cheaper alternatives, either staying in Japan or going to more affordable Korean destinations instead of making the trip to Hawai‘i.
In Waikīkī, that makes for fewer crowds. One of the shuttered retail storefronts is now an immersive art installation called Under The Southern Sun in a space formerly occupied by a national apparel brand. Mostly built out by Native Hawaiian artists and creators, the installation pays homage to the cultural history of Waikīkī—specifically the land the installation sits on.
There was hardly a wait anywhere—not at Liliha Bakery on the third floor of the International Marketplace; not at any of the four hotel bars at Marriott’s Waikīkī Collection where I somehow managed my way through the Mai Tai Express (and got a coaster set for my efforts); not at the Halekulani Bakery where I bit into a Black Sesame Kouign-Amann so good I wanted to move into it.
Some hotels have also taken the opportunity to make some refreshes. The owner of the four Marriott Waikīkī Collection properties, Kyo-Ya Hotels & Resorts, is a Japanese company that has long marketed the hotels extensively to Japanese visitors. The Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort & Spa, recently renovated the Surfrider Wing rooms in a contemporary residential style, and Sheraton Waikīkī will repurpose a breakfast space into the new three-meal Hina Hina Waikīkī.
It’s a bit early to tell what this ultimately means for Waikīkī. Total visitors are on the rebound, visitor spend is on the rebound—it’s just missing that once-vital Japan segment. For a subsect of Waikīkī businesses—some of them longstanding—the changing market dynamics mean they’re pau (finished). But if this new, low-key Waikīkī—with vibes closer to “languid resort” than “frenetic Times Square”—is the new normal, it’s hard to complain too much or too loudly.
The Caribbean Wellness Trip That Goes Way Beyond the Spa
Winterpark Photography
https://www.fodors.com/world/caribbean/barbados/experiences/news/why-barbados-is-a-wellness-destination-to-have-on-your-radaR
Barbados showcases wellness in many forms.
Yes, there are spas and relaxation to be found on Barbados, but there’s also bathing under the stars, breaking a sweat during a game of road tennis, or disconnecting from social media to snorkel alongside a sea turtle at sunset.
Barbados blew me away, and staying at O2 Beach Club & Spa was the perfect way to combine an all-inclusive experience with a deeper connection to the destination itself.
O2 offers guests opportunities to engage with Bajan culture firsthand. I enjoyed learning Warri, Barbados’ version of the traditional board game Mancala, and evenings featured live performances from local artists. My favorite was a set by Everdene and the band Green Spice.
My standout experience, though, was learning to play road tennis with Mark Griffith, better known as “Venom,” who has been ranked the No.1 Road tennis player for nearly a decade. The sport is fast-paced and physically demanding, requiring quick reactions, agility, and endurance. Native to Barbados, road tennis has since spread to other Caribbean islands and continues to gain international attention.
Watch the video to see how Barbados turns wellness into something far more memorable than a spa day.
One thing I found especially meaningful is that every beach in Barbados is public and accessible to everyone. There’s a sense that the coastline belongs to the community. I loved experiencing the island’s west coast from both land and sea. Onshore, I spent time enjoying the beaches from morning through sunset. Offshore, I joined a catamaran cruise where we snorkeled alongside sea turtles, stingrays, and tropical fish before enjoying dinner as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Another wellness offering unique to O2 was its noctourism programming, which encourages guests to slow down and disconnect. There’s something incredibly peaceful about sitting beneath a dark sky and simply looking up. One evening, we learned about the stars and planets from resident astronomer Leo Branch, known locally as the Cosmic Pioneer. Another night, we experienced O2’s self-guided star bathing audio experience. After full days of exploring, it was the perfect way to slow down and end the evening.
As someone who doesn’t travel for bars or nightlife, I appreciated how many experiences Barbados and O2 offered that supported wellness through nature, movement, and meaningful connection. My days felt full, from morning to night, with each experience offering a different way to connect with the island.
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