CLEVELAND — In the aftermath of Tuesday's Frontier Airlines flight from Cleveland to Tampa that saw six passengers afflicted with mysterious illnesses, another airline says they will stop using water from Cleveland Hopkins Airport.
In a statement, Spirit Airlines told WKYC: "At this point we have no record of any guests becoming sick from the water situation at Cleveland Hopkins International. Spirit Airlines will not be putting any potable water from the airport on our aircraft until this situation has been resolved."
An early report from Frontier Airlines indicated that each of the passengers on Tuesday's Flight 1397 may have used a public drinking fountain in Cleveland before the trip to Tampa.
Hopkins Airport officials have closed down and sanitized all of the water fountains from Concourse A, while officials from Cleveland Department of Public Health are trying to interview all six of the affected passengers.
Water samples will be sent to an external Ohio EPA-certified lab for evaluation. The city of Cleveland expects to have the results in 24-48 hours and adds that more than 11,000 passengers traveled through Hopkins Airport on Tuesday and no other illnesses have been reported.
Tampa International Airport officials say the six passengers on Tuesday's Frontier Flight 1397 were not traveling together, and their primary symptom was vomiting.
Frontier Airlines in a statement said the passengers were checked by medical staff before being released. The rest of the passengers had to wait about an hour before they could deplane, Tampa airport officials said.
The airline said it is investigating the cause of the illnesses.
"Passenger safety is Frontier’s number one priority," spokesperson Allison Redmon said.
A CDC spokesperson said the agency provided technical guidance to local EMS and health officials who boarded the plane and evaluated the sick passengers.
"The sick passengers were advised to seek care from a healthcare provider for any needed follow up," CDC Spokesperson Bert Kelly wrote in a statement.