Undercooked Burger Blamed for In-Flight Illness That Canceled United Airlines Flight

United Airlines passenger Meghan Reinertsen (pictured) who had 'biohazard diarrhea' on a flight to Indianapolis

A United Airlines passenger says an undercooked hamburger was behind a violent bout of food poisoning that forced her to spend 90 minutes locked in a plane lavatory and ultimately led to a canceled flight. Meghan Reinertsen, 29, of Atlanta, Georgia, said the ordeal unfolded in July 2024 on a flight from Newark to Indianapolis, just hours after she ate a partially raw burger at the resort where she had been working as a nanny.

Reinertsen revealed that the key mistake which triggered the horrifying explosion was taking a few bites of an undercooked burger, which gave her violent food poisoning

Reinertsen said she took only a few bites of the “really undercooked” patty but began feeling stomach cramps before boarding her final two-hour flight. Within 30 minutes of takeoff, she was sweating, crying, doubled over in pain, and rushed to the lavatory, where she suffered severe diarrhea followed by vomiting.

For 20 minutes, she endured what she called “more diarrhea than any human should ever have in their life” before flight attendants provided bags and allowed her to remain in the lavatory until landing. The crew obtained pilot clearance for her to stay put during descent, warning her to “brace for impact” through the door.

The 29-year-old actress (pictured above) from Atlanta, Georgia, said she spent an hour and a half locked inside the lavatory during the July 2024 flight from Newark to Indianapolis

Once the aircraft landed, Reinertsen was told the next flight using the same plane had been canceled so a hazmat team could clean the lavatory. She was also placed in a wheelchair to disembark. At the time, she didn’t realize she had been labeled a potential biohazard, joking later that she felt like “patient zero.”

Reinertsen shared her story on TikTok, where the video was viewed more than 20 million times and grew her following from just over 50 friends to 93,000 global followers. While she received an outpouring of support—and countless other travelers’ horror stories—she also faced online criticism. She dismissed rumors that she damaged the lavatory, insisting all bodily fluids were contained and her clothing remained clean.

The flight crew allowed Reinertsen to stay in the bathroom for the entire flight. They even got special clearance from the pilot to allow her to remain where she was for landing

Reflecting on the incident one year later, Reinertsen said she can “absolutely” see the humor in the situation and was not embarrassed by it. She described the public response as uplifting, saying her goal has always been to make people feel better about their own misfortunes.