10 Delta Passengers Treated After Plane Failed to Pressurize, Causing Bloody Noses and ‘Stabbing’ Ear Pain

Mar. 15, 2025

Multiple passengers were injured after a Delta plane heading to Portland experienced a cabin pressurization issue mid-flight.

Delta Flight 1203 returned to its departure destination of Salt Lake City after “the aircraft was unable to pressurize above 10,000 feet” on Sunday, Sept. 15, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to PEOPLE.

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“I looked over at my husband, and he had both of his hands over his ears, you know, kind of leaning forward,” passenger Caryn Allen recalled. “I looked about a row behind me, over on the other side of the aisle, and there was a gentleman that clearly had a very bad bloody nose, and people were trying to help him.”

Jaci Purser, another passenger on the flight, said, “I grabbed my ear, and I pulled my hand back, and there was blood on it.”

Allen added, “they finally announced that we were going to head back to the airport and still didn’t say why,” after passengers felt the plane dip and start to circle the Great Salt Lake.

Salt Lake City International Airport.George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images

George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A spokesperson for Delta noted that the airline covered transportation to the hospital for passengers.

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“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on flight 1203 on Sept. 15,” the airline said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC where our teams on the ground supported our customers with their immediate needs.”

They also noted that the aircraft “was taken out of service on the morning of Sept. 15 and went back into service on Sept. 16” after Delta technicians successfully fixed the pressurization issue.

source: people.com