Pretty disgusting. But, not, I fear, as bad as what you are about to read. Do NOT click “more” if you are too delicate and tender-hearted.

FareCompare.com subscriber Catherine Carlozzi enjoyed a perfectly lovely vacation in Europe this past June, and, expected a perfectly uneventful flight home. Unfortunately, Continental flight 71 to Newark was all too eventful: It was dirty, and it was disgusting.

And it smelled like hell, too.

Editors Note: NOT for the Squeamish

The problem? Well, for starters, all the lavatories quit working. So the jet was diverted to Ireland’s Shannon Airport for repairs. The passengers were eventually taken off the plane, while the malfunctioning toilets were taken care of. And, that took time. So after much confusion, the passengers were dispersed to hotels.

Toilets Get Fixed NOT

The next day (June 14), the sun was shining again: the toilets were fine, the passengers cheered, and the jet took off. But the cheering didn’t last long! As soon as the plane got airborne, some of the toilets began to overflow again.

And they overflowed right out the lavatory doors and down through the aisles. We are talking raw sewage here. Stinking, liquid sewage.

Watch Your Feet!

One woman had the misfortune of seeing this mess ooze right on up to her sandal-clad feet (she managed to move them out of harms way). Ultimately, only two of the toilets could be used, and they had to be used very gently (let’s put it this way: passengers told us they were asked not to use any toilet paper).

The flight attendants did what they could to contain the seepage, but nothing seemed to work. A number of those flight attendants, by the way, wore plastic head coverings, gloves, and masks. Were the passengers offered any such protection? No, they were not.

Cool Under Fire

Did the passengers mutiny? Did they scream and moan and threaten the crew? Absolutely not. According to passenger Carlozzi, folks on the plane rose to the occasion and stayed calm. They focused on the end of the trip, which meant reaching the airport bathrooms. One passenger said, he was never so happy to see Newark in his life (and how often will you hear that about Newark??).

So What’s the Airline’s Side of the Story?

FareCompare.com contacted Continental, asking for their side of the story, and public affairs spokesperson Mary Clark emailed us the following statement:

“Flight 71 from Amsterdam to Newark on June 13, 2007 developed an unusual problem shortly after departure that caused the lavatories on the aircraft to become inoperative. Despite a diversion to Shannon for repairs which ultimately necessitated an overnight stay, the problem recurred the following day while the aircraft was airborne over the Atlantic. Upon arrival in Newark, the problem was eventually traced to a foreign object clogging the system.” [EDITORS NOTE: foreign object was rubber glove]

Whats not covered in the statement is: 1.) Why they didn’t fix the toilets right the first time? and, 2.) Why didn’t they turn around again when it was clear the plane was oozing sewage?

Did Passengers Get a Refund? Get Real!

No, no one got a refund. Initially, though, everyone on the plane got a Continental voucher worth $115. Later, the airline upped the ante, and at least some folks were given vouchers worth $500.

Not everyone was happy with that; and there were angry letters and threats of lawsuits, but perhaps the most creative way of venting came from passenger Dana Bushman, creator of the euphoniously named blog, Poop on a Plane.

And thats ultimately a piece of Good News.

Airlines Aren’t Crazy About Bad Publicity

There was tons of bad publicity. And there were all those jokes (IN-Continental, yeah, yeah, we get it), and, theres something to be said about a public shaming when an organization deserves it. But will this really change things? Very good question. We may have to wait for the next fecal flight.

It Could Have Been ANY Airline (We Think)

Look, we don’t think Continental is a terrible airline; after all, earlier this year, Continental was lauded for having the most satisfied customers among U.S. network carriers, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates North America Airline Satisfaction Study. And we say, congrats.

But, every now and then, even a good airline can do really stupid things. At FareCompare, well applaud you when you deserve it. And, well also let everyone know when you let us down.