Distinguished Scientists Kicked off United Flight

Chicago, IL, USA - March 17, 2016: A United Airlines 747-400 landing on 28C at the Chicago O'hare Airport.

United Airlines is facing another accusation of forcibly removing an Asian passenger and her companion from a flight. Ph.D. holders Jessie Au and M.G. Wientjes both claim the Chicago-based carrier of removing them from a cross-country flight, after the two held meetings in Washington, D.C. seeking research grants.

Two retired professors from Ohio State University accused the United Airlines team from removing them from a flight for no valid reason. A contributor for Forbes tells the story of 68-year-old Jessie Au and her husband, 66-year-old M.G. Wientjes, who both say the carrier unfairly removed them from the flight.

The incident happened aboard a United flight on June 24, 2019, from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles. According to Dr. Wientjes, he and another passenger were assigned to the same seat. A gate agent then came on board to settle the seating issue.

Dr. Wientjes claims he handed his boarding pass to the attendant, who allegedly dropped it later and accused the professor of not giving it to her. When the boarding pass was recovered, Dr. Au says she lightly tapped the flight attendant on the elbow to get her attention. The elbow tap was enough for the flight attendant to shout at the two and remove them from the plane.

“The flight attendant and gate agent both yelled at us,” Dr. Au told Forbes. “We were traumatized. You could hear them screaming throughout the plane. ‘Don’t touch me! You are coming out! I’m going to kick you off the plane.’”

According to their account, gate agents boarded the aircraft to intervene. During this time, they accused United of labeling them as “intimidating” and “threatening” and that the pilot threatened to completely deplane the aircraft due to a situation onboard.

At this point, the couple say they willingly left the aircraft and were offered overnight accommodations and rebooking. However, a gate agent allegedly told them they would be put on an “internal watch list” and to make matters worse, Dr. Au claims the United Passenger Incident Review Committee demanded a statement from her within four days of the incident or face a lifetime ban on the airline.

Instead of compensation, the couple say they want United to “live up to their words and revise their policies and procedures,” as outlined in a document issued after the incident involving Dr. David Dao in 2017.

United has not issued a statement about the accusations.

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[Featured Image: United]