Brit suffers six-hour 'flight from hell' with diarrhoea and vomiting every five minutes that left him unable to walk - and blames 'smelly' pasta he ate on the plane
A British traveller suffered the six-hour 'flight from hell' after he ate 'smelly' pasta on the plane which he blames for giving him diarrhoea and causing him to vomit every five minutes.
Cameron Callaghan was flying from Manchester Airport to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi on January 6 ahead of a trip around South East Asia.
However, before his adventure across Asia had even began he became violently ill on the plane and had to be rolled off the flight in a wheelchair.
Mr Callaghan, 27, ate an egg sandwich three hours before boarding the plane then was served a tomato and chicken pasta dish after take-off.
He says that 20 minutes after eating the 'smelly' plane food he began feeling unwell, and later suffered from diarrhoea.
He then threw up 'every five minutes' for the rest of the six-hour journey.
The former delivery driver was then left lying in 'the foetal position' on the bathroom floor and when he wasn't spewing he was sat with an air hostess who kept the cubicle free.
He claims he was carefully ushered off the flight in a wheelchair and given an urgent medical assessment.
Cameron Callaghan (pictured) was taking a flight from Manchester Airport to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi on January 6 when became violently ill
He claims it was Etihad Airways' in-flight meal that caused the violent bout of sickness, explaining the meal 'smelled a bit'
The 'flight from hell', as Mr Callaghan described it, left him bed-bound for his first few days in Thailand.
He claims it was Etihad Airways' in-flight meal that caused the violent bout of sickness, explaining the meal 'smelled a bit' but the airline say the food was prepared and stored under strict temperature-controlled conditions and they received no reports of illness from other passengers who were served the same meal.
The flight had been delayed for five hours and Cameron says he believes the food hadn't been stored properly during that time.
Mr Callaghan, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, said: 'It was a flight from hell.
'When we finally got on, they offered us some food so I ate that and put a movie on. It was a tomato, cheesy, chicken pasta.
'It did smell a bit weird but all plane food kind of does.
'Then 20 minutes later, I had diarrhoea twice and ten minutes after that I was just constantly throwing up for the duration of the flight.
Mr Callaghan was flying out to Thailand to start a holiday in South East Asia. However, before his adventure had even begun he struggled with diarrhoea and vomiting on the 'flight from hell'
An Etihad Airways plane at Manchester Airport (stock image). The airline insist they 'prepared and stored the food under strict temperature-controlled conditions' and no other passengers who had the same food reported issues
'I threw up probably about 30 times. I had to sit at the back of the plane with an air hostess while she kept the toilet free for me.
'I was going to the toilet every five minutes, laying in the foetal position and towards the end of the flight, I'd emptied my body so much that I couldn't even stand up.
'I couldn't lift my head up so they had to get a wheelchair and they wheeled me to the medical room in Abu Dhabi's airport.
'I believe the food had been sitting out since the original time the plane was supposed to take off and not been stored properly.
'Before the flight, I ate an egg butty and was sat in the airport for three hours after that and felt completely fine. That definitely wasn't the cause.
'I didn't even eat the night before because I was stressed because of the delayed flight.'
He was assessed by a doctor at Zayed International Airport where he was given an IV and anti-sickness drip.
Mr Callaghan said the incident ruined the start of his holiday because he was too weak to walk.
Mr Callaghan ate an egg sandwich three hours before the flight before he tucked into the inflight meal of tomato and chicken pasta
He said: 'I was so weak, I couldn't walk. I just felt like I was going to pass out. I'd fully dehydrated my body by being sick that much.
'The next two or three days after arriving in Bangkok I was just bed bound. It was only on the third day I actually left the hotel and started exploring.
'After what I've been through, I don't really want to get on a plane so I'm stuck in Thailand at the minute.
'I'd like a refund for the flight if not full then partial. I want acknowledgement about the food poisoning and for them to say sorry.
'I wouldn't be sick 20 minutes after eating their food if it didn't come from their food.
'This holiday has been planned for three years and I couldn't enjoy the journey at all. people coming to the toilet and seeing me lying on the floor being sick was embarrassing.
'It ruined the first few days of my holiday. I'm going to starve myself on the flight back so this doesn't happen again.'
Departures at Manchester Airport where Mr Callaghan flew to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi (stock image)
An Etihad Airways spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the recent report of a passenger falling ill on board our flight from Manchester on 06 January, 2025.
'We take all such matters very seriously and investigate thoroughly.
'Our food on this flight, as with all our flights, was prepared and stored under strict temperature-controlled conditions to ensure safety and quality.
'We did not receive any reports of illness from other passengers on this flight who were served the same meal. Our first priority is always the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew.'
