WASHINGTON -- Five days after their flight was forced into an emergency landing at Dulles, at least three passengers says they're suffering headaches, infections, loss of hearing, and burst eardrums.
American Airlines Flight 4840 had to divert to Dulles last Thursday because of pressure problems in the cabin. Some passengers are furious American failed to do more to help them.
"I screamed out in pain. Many of the other passengers screamed out in pain," said passenger LaTasha Williams, describing what happened when ground and air crews finally wrestled the door open on the American Eagle flight. Passengers say the sudden rush of air into the under-pressurized cabin left them in gasping in agony.
The ear-popping pressure problem started in flight. But days later, some of the passengers say their problems are getting worse.
"There's definitely something wrong with my ear...a dull ache in my left ear," said Della Taylor, 72, in a phone interview on Tuesday.
On Facebook, passenger Beth Perets wrote, "I was at the Dr. today with total hearing loss and was told my eardrum was punctured and is now severely infected."
Taylor says she was afraid to even get on a plane to fly back home to Harrisburg, worried it would cause even more damage to her ear canal. But she couldn't wait for American to work out the details of getting her home by train.
"I'm just very disappointed and very disgusted with the services of American Airlines," said Taylor.
A spokesman for American says the airline has been in touch with the passengers, that it does care how they're doing, and that it's doing everything it can to help them.
Some of the passengers have hired lawyers. One passenger who had agreed to talk to us, later backed out of an interview on the advice of her attorney.
