After enough time had passed, TikToker Meghan Reinertsen felt comfortable sharing a food poisoning incident on a United Airlines flight while.
She also offered a long-overdue apology to those affected by the canceled flight thanks to a “disturbance deep, deep within my bowels.”
The buildup to the epic lavatory emergency happened after Reinertsen ate a “couple of bites” from an undercooked hamburger in Portugal before starting a multi-leg, very uncomfortable trip from Portugal to Indianapolis.
Half an hour before landing at Newark airport, she woke up in pain and realized something was “brewing” before she powered through customs and gate changes and schlepping her luggage from place to place. The final flight to Indianapolis was when her insides couldn’t take it anymore, and even worse, the seat belt sign was still on.
From her window seat, Reinertsen set the scene by explaining:
“I’ve never felt anything like it in my life. I am just full-body sweating, I’m crying. My insides are cramping… I can only imagine that that is what a contraction feels like.”
Bad timing for a mid-air bowel emergency, huh?
Recalling the 2023 incident involving a passenger who had a defecation accident in the aisle of a Delta Airlines flight, Reinertsen decided that the incoming stomach issues were serious enough to “break” the stay in your seats rule. She rushed into the two-foot-wide space lavatory and proceeded to vomit and have diarrhea—for the next 90 minutes.
Reinertsen soon realized she would need help from the United Airlines flight attendants, upon realizing she couldn't vomit or gag into the tiny lavatory sink.
Reinertsen continued with every bodily detail you could imagine:
“With every gag, death knocking at the doors of my butthole… So, in my panic, I stand up, and I rip open the airplane bathroom door, and I just yell into the plane, ‘I NEED HELP!’”
While showing only a bit of secondhand embarrassment, the flight attendant handed Reinertsen several barf bags. The rest of the flight crew offered the passenger some ginger ale and reassurance that the airline had received clearance to land while Reinertsen was crouched over her temporary toilet room. Phew!
You can watch Part One of Reinertsen’s cringeworthy story on TikTok below:
@meghanreinertsen Part 1 of how I personally got a United flight cancelled #storytime #airplane #diarrhea @United Airlines
With everyone off the plane, the flight attendant told Reinertsen that the next flight was canceled, which made her assume it was “a gorgeous coincidence” until she learned that a hazmat team had been called.
Barf bag in hand, Reinertsen realized:
“You canceled that flight because of me cuz now the hazmat team’s gotta come in and clean it. Because you don’t know if I brought something back from Portugal, and I am a biohazard. Like, I am patient zero.”
Patient zero was finally wheeled out and dropped off at baggage claim… in front of fellow passengers who were eyeing (also, probably smelling) her.
She somehow managed to reach the Indianapolis hotel and recover while experiencing bouts of sleeping, pooping, and, well, more vomiting. She even admitted to having an accident on the hotel sheets, which the hotel receptionist kindly offered to discard since “it happens more than you think.” Good to know!
Reinertsen still had a premiere to attend before heading home to Atlanta, so she finally took a much-needed shower. And in her own words, the actress ended up looking “snatched” and “glowing” at the showing of her first SAG film. You go, Meghan!
Here’s the conclusion to her airline story:
A look at her IMDB page suggests the premiere was probably The Ice Cream Man, a 2024 short film that won “Best Narrative Short” at the Gasparilla International Film Festival.
Reinertsen has both acting, production assistant, and writing credits to her name, which explains how her epic narration on TikTok garnered over 9 million views.
Commenters offered kind words.
@safarazvi_/TikTok
@chefv707/TikTok
@dy6hjbcmf4kt/TikTok
@catherinelukes/TikTok
@kylieapproved/TikTok
@brisroaringtwenties/TikTok
@francescaevigna/TikTok
@mariminecraft_/TikTok
@alexisdinat/TikTok
@lgerry328/TikTok
@sidewalkstoryteller/TikTok
@elfyeah/TikTok
After her videos went viral, Meghan posted a response to the questions from the comment section and a promise to deliver more crazy stories from her life, including crushes, hallucinating as a child, and narcolepsy. She has it all!
You can watch her latest video and follow @meghanreinertsen for more stories:
@meghanreinertsen Did not have my phone in that bathroom, just vibes and horrors. #storytime #airplane #diarrhea
