Narrative:

While cruising and three and one half hours from landing; passengers started ringing call lights. There was an increasing level of electrical burning smell. The cockpit called; as they smelled it too. It appeared it was getting worse. The captain declared an emergency and told me that we were landing in a divert airport in fifteen minutes. The flight attendants prepared the cabin per our procedures and we made a rapid descent into the airport. Shortly before we landed the captain called me to see if the fumes had gotten worse; and I told him they had not. He said not to evacuate unless that changed. We taxied to the gate and the plane went out of service. Another plane was ferried in and we continued on that plane to our destination.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200 declared an emergency and diverted to the nearest suitable airport when burning electrical fumes of increasing intensity were sensed by passengers; flight attendants and the flight crew.

Narrative: While cruising and three and one half hours from landing; passengers started ringing call lights. There was an increasing level of electrical burning smell. The cockpit called; as they smelled it too. It appeared it was getting worse. The Captain declared an emergency and told me that we were landing in a divert airport in fifteen minutes. The flight attendants prepared the cabin per our procedures and we made a rapid descent into the airport. Shortly before we landed the Captain called me to see if the fumes had gotten worse; and I told him they had not. He said not to evacuate unless that changed. We taxied to the gate and the plane went out of service. Another plane was ferried in and we continued on that plane to our destination.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.