Passengers said a pressurization issue on a Delta Air Lines flight Sunday left them with bloody noses and ears.
A spokesperson for the airline company said that Flight 1203 from Salt Lake City to Portland, Oregon, was unable to pressurize above 10,000 feet.
Crew members “followed procedures to return to SLC where our teams on the ground supported our customers with their immediate needs,” the company said in a statement.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience,” the statement read.
Passenger Jaci Purser told NBC affiliate KSL-TV of Salt Lake City that she felt her ear pop and then bubble because of the pressure in the cabin. She said it felt like someone was stabbing her in the ear.
“I grabbed my ear, and I pulled my hand back, and there was blood on it,” she said.
Another passenger, Caryn Allen, said she looked over at her husband and he was leaning over and covering both ears with his hands. Other passengers were experiencing similar issues.
“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,” Allen told the news station.
Delta said medical personnel met the flight at the gate and treated or evaluated 10 people. The Boeing aircraft had 140 passengers onboard.
It’s not clear what caused the pressurization issue but Delta technicians were able to fix it. The plane was briefly taken out of service Sunday morning and went back into service the following day, Delta said.
