HOUSTON – Airplane cabins can be cramped, hectic, and sometimes uncomfortable, but having to sit in a seat covered in vomit for a nearly four-hour flight is a bit much to ask of any passenger.

Especially when the plane crew forces you to clean the vomit yourself.

That's what allegedly happened to a pair of flyers who were headed home last weekend.

What happened

Sam Trail, of Houston, said he and his wife were forced to sit in a seat with fresh vomit on the back, of the seat in front of them, the floor and the seat itself.

"The seat in front of me was covered with vomit," Trail said. "They kept boarding the people and so we couldn't move. We basically had our luggage in our laps trying to avoid contact with the vomit."

They said they were on United Flight 2057 from Vancouver to Houston on Sunday afternoon.

What passengers said

Trail said that when he alerted the flight crew of the vomit, they were more concerned with the departure time.

"I was told, 'Oh, yeah, we can get a cleaning crew, but you're going to be the reason this flight is delayed,'" Trail said.

Trail said a flight attendant handed him a wad of paper towels to clean the vomit before a cleaning person boarded the plane with a spray bottle and towel. Trail said the vomit was not totally cleaned when they sat down.

"There's gotta be some limitations. I mean you have to provide a sanitary environment and there should be an apology," he said.

What United said

The airline released this statement about the incident:

"We're disappointed that this aircraft did not meet our standards for cleanliness. Once the issue was brought to our crew's attention, cabin cleaners were called on board to clean the seat prior to departure."

What's next?

United Airlines said it has reached out to the Trails for further discussion.

The Trails said they would like an apology.