Farhang Bharucha took his seat in 9C on a Turkish Airlines flight from Denver International Airport to Istanbul on Saturday when his night suddenly took a turn.
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The Greenwood Village resident and his family were seated next to one of the bathrooms, so they had front row seats to a repugnant smell emanating from the moist floor outside the stall.
Passengers began to complain about the rancid odor, but airline representatives said they had few available seats.
As the plane taxied down the runway, the toilet started dumping out brown sewage water, Bharucha said. The captain turned the plane around, and, eventually, Turkish Airlines canceled the flight altogether. Google Flights confirmed the cancellation.
Bharucha says the airline told him and the hundreds of other passengers to get hotels and that they would be reimbursed later. The airline, though, would not book travelers on partner airlines, so Bharucha and his family won’t be able to fly out until Tuesday night.
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Turkish Airlines has not communicated at all with passengers throughout the process, Bharucha said. Officials only said that the cancellation occurred due to an “act of God”, which typically only pertains to events such as natural disasters or war.
“An absolute lack of responsibility,” Bharucha said in an interview. “I would have expected clear communication right from the start. They did not do that; instead, they tried to cover it up, which was quite appalling.”
He hopes his family will be able to fly out Tuesday night, but at this point, “I’ve lost all trust with them.”
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Turkish Airlines did not respond to requests for comment.
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