A Delta Air Lines flight returned to Amsterdam Tuesday after what the airline cryptically called “improperly packed carry-on bag.”

Social media posts, however, suggest that euphemism is doing a lot of heavy lifting. The Daily Mail reported that maggots were falling from the overhead bin after a passenger brought rotting fish in their hand luggage.

Flight tracker FlightAware shows the plane, which was bound for Detroit, only made it as far as England before turning back.

One passenger told The Daily Mail that affected travelers were given 8,000 air miles, hotel room vouchers and a $30 meal ticket if they were delayed overnight.

Delta acknowledged the basics of the incident in a statement to USA TODAY.

“We apologize to the customers of Flight 133 on Feb. 13 as their trip was interrupted due to an improperly packed carry-on bag,” the statement said. “The aircraft returned to the gate and customers were placed on the next available flight. The aircraft was removed from service for cleaning.”

Passengers are generally allowed to bring food onboard aircraft, so long as it’s packaged properly and does not contain more than the regulatory limit for liquids. For domestic flights and those departing the U.S., the Transportation Security Administration has a helpful webpage with packing guidelines for both carry-on and checked bags.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Delta returns to Amsterdam after midair maggot incident