Delta passengers leave with bloody noses and ears due to severe cabin pressure problems

Passengers reported nosebleeds and ears from pressure on a Delta Air Lines flight on Sunday.

An airline company spokesman said Flight 1203 from Salt Lake City to Portland, Oregon, was unable to depressurize above 10,000 feet.

Crew members “followed procedures back to SLC where our teams supported our customers with their immediate needs,” the company said in a statement.

“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience,” the statement said.

Passenger Jacey Purser told Salt Lake City's NBC affiliate KSL-TV that he felt his ears pop and then bubble due to cabin pressure. He said it felt like someone was stabbing his ear.

“I grabbed my ear, and I pulled my hand back, and there was blood in it,” she said.

Another passenger, Caryn Allen, said she looked at her husband and he leaned over and covered both ears with his hands. Other passengers were also suffering from similar problems.

“I saw a row behind me, on the other side of the aisle, and there was a gentleman who obviously had a really bad bloody nose and people were trying to help him,” Allen told the news station.

Delta said medical personnel met the flight at the gate and treated or evaluated 10 people. The Boeing plane was carrying 140 passengers.

It's not clear what caused the pressure problem, but Delta technicians were able to fix it. The plane was briefly taken out of service Sunday morning and returned to service the next day, Delta said.