The ill passengers, who were flying from Vancouver to Houston, had been on the same cruse, the airline told PEOPLE
A United Airlines flight from Vancouver to Houston was removed from service on Friday, May 31 and underwent a deep cleaning after multiple passengers experienced nausea.
A spokesperson for United told PEOPLE that the passengers on Flight 1528 who “did not feel well” had been on the same cruise.
United Airlines is actively coordinating with health authorities to address the situation,” the airline said in a statement. “As a precautionary measure, the aircraft will be removed from service and go through a deep cleaning before returning to service.”
“Ensuring the health and safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority,” the statement added.
The plane, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was carrying a total of 163 passengers and six crew members.
Martee Black, public information officer for the Houston Fire Department, told PEOPLE that out of 75 passengers who’d been on a cruise in Vancouver, 25 “were ill due to the cruise” and complained of nausea.
When the flight landed at Texas’ George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 6:20 p.m. Friday, the Houston Fire Department arrived and evaluated three patients.
Neither the airline nor the fire department disclosed what cruise the ill passengers had taken.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told USA Today in a statement, “Public health officers from CDC’s Houston Port Health Station worked with EMS to evaluate ill passengers on board.
“Most of the ill passengers reported mild GI symptoms,” the CDC’s statement added. “No passengers were noted to have a fever during the flight or upon public health assessment at landing. No passengers met CDC criteria for further public health follow-up. Passengers from the flight continued with their travel plans.”