TAMPA, Fla. -- Six people were mysteriously sickened while on a New Year's Day flight from Cleveland to Tampa.
The Airbus A321, flown by Frontier Airlines, had 226 passengers on board.
Tampa International Airport officials say the six passengers on Flight 1397 were not traveling together, and their primary symptom was vomiting.
The sick individuals were taken off the plane to be evaluated in Tampa.
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.
A reporter with WKYC in Cleveland reports Cleveland Hopkins International Airport shut off a water fountain as a precaution after the illnesses.
Gordon Welty, a passenger on the plane, said it was a confusing time onboard.
"We couldn't get any information," he said. "The flight attendants didn't know a thing and every now and then, the captain would come and say, 'We're still waiting for the CDC to release these passengers and possibly everyone on the plane is gonna have to through a process to see if we have any symptoms.'"
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.
Authorities say they determined there was no risk to other passengers or crew on the aircraft.
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