This Airline's Weird 'Cleaning Mishap' Created Cancellations And Delays With 0 Reimbursement

When you think of your worst laundry-related mishaps, perhaps that wool sweater you shrunk two sizes smaller comes to mind. Or the white sheets that came out of the washing machine bright pink because of that one red sock you accidentally threw in. But of all the possible disasters you could imagine, one that likely doesn't come to mind is making your laundry more of a fire hazard. Well, this is exactly what happened to Finnair in October 2025.

During the airline's routine cleaning of its upholstery, seat covers on several flights were washed with water when they should instead have been cleaned with a special detergent to preserve their fire protection properties. Due to this weird "cleaning mishap," as it was labeled by the New York Post, eight of the airline's 15 Airbus A321s were temporarily suspended. This resulted in the delay or cancellation of about 70 flights between October 13 and 21, affecting over 10,000 passengers, and is probably one of the most bizarre reasons for a flight delay.

While it's bad enough that so many travelers' plans were disrupted, the worst part is that they may not be reimbursed for the extreme inconvenience. According to reporting from the Finnish outlet yle, the airline claims that the delays and cancellations resulted from "extraordinary circumstances" (specifically, a design or manufacturing flaw in the seat covers) under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Union's air passenger rights. Therefore, it asserts that it is exempt from compensating affected passengers. However, the Consumers' Union of Finland disputes this. In a statement released on October 22, 2025, it said that passengers are, in fact, entitled to standard EU-determined compensation amounts. As of this writing, the matter is still ongoing.

Everything inside an aircraft's interiors needs to follow guidelines and be tested for fire safety — and that includes the seats and their covers. The obvious reason for this is that passengers are stuck inside a crowded metal tube carrying thousands of gallons of fuel 30,000 feet above the ground, with no easy way to escape. The covers are coated with fire-retardant chemicals and must be cleaned in a specific way using a pre-approved detergent. However, they were mistakenly washed with water instead, which could have potentially made the seats less fire-resistant (the effect of water on these protective chemicals hasn't been verified). And since the airline couldn't be sure the covers were still air-safe, they grounded the affected aircraft. Around 1,700 seat covers must be replaced, which will take time. Two carriers, DAT and Jettime, were wet-leased by Finnair to help carry out some of its operations. Although Finnair stated its aircraft would return to service by the end of October, not all have as of now.

If a similar cancellation event (laundry-related or otherwise) happens to you in the future, it's helpful to be prepared. Ensure you've booked travel insurance for your needs in advance to help cover any unforeseen costs, and read through this list of things to do immediately if your flight is delayed. Thankfully, mass plane-grounding incidents don't happen often, and it's encouraging to see the airline prioritize passenger safety over its reputation in this case — Finnair could have tried to hide the mishap and hoped nobody took a lighter to its seat covers. But perhaps this carrier — and all of us — will take away an important lesson: When doing laundry, always follow the cleaning instructions.