An Iowa man said he was offered a change of clothes and a $200 voucher for a future trip after he sat in urine on an American Airlines flight last month.
Mike Feinberg told WHO-TV in Iowa that he had been sitting in a first-class seat on a flight from St. Louis to Des Moines for about an hour when he noticed that his pants felt wet. He touched the seat, felt the moisture, brought his hand to his nose and knew what he was smelling.
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"It's urine," he said.
Feinberg said he notified a flight attendant.
"I said, 'I am sitting in a seat that's got urine in it,'" Feinberg said.
Feinberg said the attendant told him that an older man had been sitting in the seat before him and kept going to the bathroom during the flight, but he obviously "must have missed once." He said she gave him blankets and a trash bag to place under his seat.
To make matters worse, the flight was stuck on the tarmac for about 40 minutes after it landed three hours later.
Feinberg said American Airlines eventually offered him a shower, some pajamas and a $200 voucher, but he considered it "an insult."
"I don't know who was sitting there before," Feinberg said. "(He) could have been the nicest guy in the world, but could have hepatitis B, could have hepatitis C, could have had Ebola. I don't know what the guy had."
WHO reported that American Airlines eventually offered to increase Feinberg's compensation to $1,000, refunded his frequent flyer miles and paid for his $500 suit.
Feinberg said he learned his lesson and will check his seat before flying again.
"I don't want any more surprises," he said.