Three people needed hospital treatment after turbulence battered a plane en route from New York to Bermuda yesterday.

And American Airlines is having to foot around 30 dry-cleaning bills after the rocky flight caused food trays to spill all over passengers' laps.

The three injured women -- two passengers and a flight attendant -- were discharged from the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital yesterday after receiving treatment for bumps and bruises, cuts and muscle strains.

Airline chiefs said large pockets of turbulence were to blame for the in-flight chaos and promised to pay for the dry-cleaning.

American Airlines' Bermuda General Manager Carole DeCouto said: "The pilot reported a lot of turbulence on his way into Bermuda but thankfully the three people needing treatment have all been released and are not seriously hurt.

"I went to see them but they had already been discharged. They were reporting bumps and bruises, cuts and scrapes and sore necks.

"They were all adult women, two of them were Bermudians and one was a crew member. The problems began when the plane hit some turbulence and we've now got about 30 dry-cleaning bills to pick up as well.

"Apparently, food went flying everywhere but fortunately the captain had just warned everyone to be in their seats, buckled in.'' The rough ride, flight number 686, brought passengers into Bermuda just nine minutes later than scheduled, at 11.44 a.m.

And an American Airlines spokesman in the US said the incident reinforced the liner's new on-board policy of keeping passengers buckled in at all times.

"Seatbelts should be fastened throughout all our flights now,'' he said.

"These things do occur from time to time and that's why we encourage people to stay buckled in unless they're off to the toilet.'' One woman died when a United Airlines flight dropped violently because of an air pocket over the Pacific late last year.

And yesterday's drama was the second emergency incident to hit American Airlines in Bermuda this weekend.

Flight number 1913, from New York's JFK airport to San Juan in Puerto Rico, made an emergency diversion to the Island when an 84-year-old New York man fell ill on board.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were placed on standby as the plane prepared to land at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

And the pensioner was taken to hospital suffering a suspected heart attack or stroke, after being treated on board by two doctors.

He was said to be in a stable condition last night.