I hope someone in the know has some idea of how this situation should have been handled. Highly unusual but very annoying. My husband and I upgraded to first on a flight Sat from ORD to OAK - 4 hrs plus. We were on the tarmac about to accelerate when an old (maybe 75) woman behind us suddenly got up from her 2A seat and started moaning. I looked up and thought she was having a heart attack. I called the FA who ran over to get her to sit down for take off but the woman kept moaning. FA asked "Do you want me to stop the plane and you can get off and get medical treatment?" NO. Again tried to get up. FA said either sit down or we will turn the plane around. Finally, she sat and we took off. From the look of her ashen face, I thought she was going to die on us. She and her husband were from India and did not understand much English. As it finally turned out, she was moaning from her feet hurting so the FA gave her a bandaid and water. Next thing, she has her bare feet up and is rubbing an awful ointment like Bengay on both feet and putting them on the back of our arm rests! The whole cabin and the first 2 rows of econ were affected. The ointment made our eyes burn and would not go away. The FA finally asked the woman to put the ointment away and forbid her to use more but the damage was done and the odor lasted throughout the flight. The pilot tried recirculating the air but no one would ask this woman to wash off her feet. Putting on shoes was no use since she had sandals. This odor lasted the entire flight and we were affected the most being in front of her. She refused to move her feet from the back of our armrest and no one made her.

I just wrote to 1K about it and have not heard back. This was worse than a crying baby because you could not put on earphones and drown her out. We were in an oversold plane with not one spare seat. I know it was not UA's fault this woman was so rude but what do you think should have happened? We definitely were deprived of a first class experience, as was the whole section. I suggested UA notify the son who picked them up and have him give them a talk (emergency local number??) before they ruin flights going home.