FLT ATTENDANT ON AN S80 HAS #1 FLT ATTENDANT INDICATE THAT THE COCKPIT CREW INFORMED THAT THE FLT WAS RETURNING TO ORD TO CHANGE PLANES DUE FUMES IN COCKPIT.

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OUR CREW WAS PREPARING FOOD TO SERVE TO THE PAX. I WAS THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT; SO I WAS UNWRAPPING THE FOOD FOR FIRST CLASS AND STARTING TO SET UP TRAYS. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT WENT INTO THE COCKPIT BECAUSE HE SAID HE SMELLED SOMETHING STRANGE AND WAS GOING TO INFORM THE COCKPIT. I WAS CONGESTED AND COULD NOT SMELL IT. WHEN HE CAME BACK FROM THE COCKPIT HE INFORMED ME AND THE OTHER 2 FLT ATTENDANTS THAT APPARENTLY 'FUMES' WERE COMING FROM THE COCKPIT AND THE CAPT WAS IN PROCESS OF DECIDING IF WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE THE FLT OR RETURN TO ORD. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS; THE CAPT NOTIFIED US THAT WE WERE RETURNING TO CHICAGO AND CHANGING ACFT. BOTH MEMBERS IN THE COCKPIT WERE USING OXYGEN. WE LANDED AND SEVERAL FIRE ENGS; AMBULANCES; ETC; MET THE FLT. NONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE AFFECTED BY THE 'FUMES' AND WE SWITCHED ACFT AND CONTINUED OUR RTE TO SLC. WHEN WE LANDED BACK IN CHICAGO; A MGR DID MEET THE FLT TO SEE IF WE WERE OK AND ASKED IF WE WANTED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE FLT. WE ALL AGREED TO CONTINUE TO SLC WITH THE NEW ACFT.