JetBlue passenger sues for $1.5 million, claiming she was scalded by hot tea during flight

A JetBlue passenger is suing the airline for $1.5 million, claiming she was scalded by “unreasonably and dangerously hot” tea that fell on her during midair turbulence.

Tahjana Lewis said in her complaint that the plane, flying from Orlando to Hartford on May 15, hit a patch of rough air that led pilots to flash the seatbelt sign — but the cabin crew kept on serving beverages, according to Business Insider.

Hot tea being served to a passenger next to Lewis spilled all over her and caused severe burns to her chest, legs and arm that left her scarred and disfigured, the suit said.

Lewis has accused the airline of serving drinks “at a temperature that was unreasonably and dangerously hot,” the outlet said.

The lawsuit, filed last Friday, comes during a spate of high-profile incidents in which airline passengers have gotten hurt during intense turbulence.

Those include a 73-year-old Singapore Airlines flyer who died when the plane on which he rode plunged 6,000 feet, tossing passengers around the cabin like clothes in a washing machine.

That plane, which carried 211 passengers and 18 crew, was 10 hours into a flight from London to Singapore when it was whacked by turbulence caused by thunderstorms over the Indian Ocean.

Flyers can likely expect more frequent problems — especially over the North Atlantic — as the climate continues to warm, according to Guy Gratton, an associate professor of aviation and the environment at Cranfield University.

“What’s happening with climate change is the troposphere is getting warmer, the lower stratosphere is actually getting slightly colder,” Gratton told Business Insider.

This warming atmosphere speeds up the jet streams — and that means planes will likely be in for a bumpier ride in the future.

“So if you’re trying to fly across the Atlantic, you’ve now got bigger waves in the jet stream, and you’ve also got more energy in the jet stream,” Gratton said. “So that is creating more friction, which is creating more turbulence.”