American Airlines Flight Diverts to Phoenix After Lice Incident; Passengers Given Hotel Vouchers

In an unusual incident on June 15, an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York made an emergency landing in Phoenix after passengers observed lice in a woman’s hair. The diversion led to a 12-hour delay and passengers were provided with hotel vouchers.

Ethan Judelson, a passenger on Flight 2201, shared details of the incident via TikTok. He described the confusion and uncertainty among passengers as the flight crew provided limited information about the situation. “As soon as we landed, this woman across the aisle rushed to the front of the plane,” Judelson recounted.

Eyewitnesses reported that two passengers noticed lice crawling from a woman’s hair and alerted the flight attendants, prompting the emergency landing. “Apparently, those two girls saw bugs crawling out of the woman’s hair and informed the flight attendant,” Judelson said in his video.

Upon landing, passengers were informed of a 12-hour delay and received hotel vouchers for accommodation. American Airlines confirmed the flight was diverted due to a medical emergency. “On June 15, American Airlines flight 2201 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) diverted to Phoenix (PHX) due to the medical needs of a customer,” said an airline spokesperson.

Despite the disruption, passengers eventually reached their destination. American Airlines has expressed appreciation for the patience and understanding of their customers during this unexpected situation.