Cleveland Airport Disables Water Fountains After Passengers Vomit On Flight

A flight from Ohio to Florida experienced a major disruption to begin the new year, according to Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA-8. Several passengers on a flight from Cleveland to Tampa suddenly became ill to the point of vomiting, and authorities have not pinpointed a direct cause yet.

There were 226 passengers on Frontier Airlines flight 397 on Tuesday, and six of them became ill during the flight. Those six passengers were all traveling separately and had no relation to each other.

The main theory seems to be that the drinking fountains at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport could be to blame for the illness. An airport spokesperson told CNN Cleveland Hopkins would shut down the water fountains the passengers would have had access to as a cautionary measure.

They will be tested for contamination and turned back on if they are found safe for use.

The sick passengers were held for evaluation and eventually released. None of the other 220 passengers were allowed off the plane after it landed in Tampa for at least 90 minutes, according to CNN.

The rest of those aboard the flight were alerted about the illness while the plane was in the air and were told to come forward about any possible symptoms. One of the passengers who was not sick described the appearance of the illness as sudden and unexpected.

"They were just coming out of nowhere," Tiffany McKinney told WFLA-8.

Frontier Airlines previously made headlines for airborne illness in 2014 when one of its planes carried a passenger with Ebola. That plane made several more flights before being grounded.