Family removed from UA 3493 on 28 June 2018
 

I was waiting to push back on UA 3493 last Thursday morning and it turns out somebody else wasn't ready. There was a guy just standing in the aisle of row 20. The FA came on and said they needed everyone seated & buckled, then waited a few minutes. Then the pilot came on the PA and said the same thing -- by FAA rules they couldn't push back until he got the all clear that everyone was seated & buckled. Then the guy in the aisle comes up to the front to berate the FA about how they're not giving him enough time to get settled, how they're treating families inhumanely/poorly, etc. The whole time he's video recording with his phone.... I guess hoping to get a huge settlement.

I've gotta hand it to the crew. They handled it in an exemplary manner. The pilot came out of the cockpit, they called a supervisor and opened the door so she could board and go talk to the guy. A few minutes later she walks off and says something to the pilot & FA up front. Then a minute or so later the guy's wife and one of his kids walks off. He's taking his sweet time getting his "stuff" together, and about 5 minutes later he finally walks off with his other kid.

Of course that ~45 min delay was enough that we missed the clear weather and by the time we got to push back and taxi, we're #30 in line and they're holding flights, slowly releasing them. We got off the ground almost an hour later.

I'm sure the guy's threatening to sue UA and will "never fly this airline again" but the crew handled everything very patiently. The captain apologized profusely to everyone about the delay. I don't think anyone was upset at UA, but everyone seemed pretty peeved with the guy causing the delay, just because he could. I mean really, how hard is it to take your seat and buckle your kid in for takeoff? And is it really worth getting your entire family tossed from the flight to prove your point? The lead FA said in 19 years she's only seen one other person removed from a flight, so I guess it's not that common. I haven't seen the video of this one on YouTube yet.... but I'm sure it's coming.

Sounds like a horrible person.

How much time are we talking for this guy getting his family settled?

They boarded middle of the pack, probably group 3-4? Nobody else had any trouble getting their stuff stowed and buckled up....including the families and kids that boarded after him.

I hope that they never fly United again, but that the decision comes from the airline. Other airlines may want to consider their options as well, if only to stay ahead of the game.

Family removed from UA 3493 on 6/28
is like a clickbait ...

disruptive passenger accompanied by his wife and kids removed would be more appropriate

Not really sure I see the difference. The title was apt and described the situation accurately, and is no more or less inflammatory than your suggestion (minus the super huge font). I would have clicked on it either way. Or not, which is my choice, as it is yours.

Personally when I see bad behavior by other passengers and the FAs/GAs/check-in agents handle the situation well I write into UA with a compliment, especially when the passenger has threatened the UA staff with reporting them. A few years ago I tried to intervene and support the UA staff and got yelled at by the passenger including many profanities, so these days I quietly mention to the UA staff member to ensure they get my details from the manifest if they need a witness, and then follow up to UA with my details of the incident in support of the staff member. By doing it soon after the incident is fresh in my memory and the details still front of mind.

Kudos to the FA, pilot and GA for handling it as well as they could under the circumstances.

The pilot got contact details from 2 FA's and a Captain who were commuting home to KC. I was sort of surprised they only took other airline personnel as witnesses; you'd think other passengers would be preferable, in a "conflict of interest" sense. It wasn't a huge deal as the guy got off and cooperated, rather than forcing them to drag him off or taze him. :)

At some airlines the staff might help him get settled rather than throwing him off.

At least he kept his face intact. The new, kinder gentler spirit of United.

This thread is today's reminder that the worst part of modern air travel is, by far, the passengers.

My guess is that he was trying to do the following:

Step 1: set up a situation which would be a PR nightmare for UA

Step 2: Record it, post it on Social Media

Step 3: profit.


I hope this backfires on the guy, and they hold him responsible for the costs associated with the delay. At the very least, I hope it didn't work.

Passengers have responsibilities just like airlines do. When a passenger fails those responsibililties, they have to suffer the consequences, just like airlines do.

Yep here we have a situation unlike the SkyWorst FA on the Delta Connection flight, the passenger is definitely the aggressor. Not only did he inconvenience the passengers he also inconvenienced the crew who probably had other flights that day along with the aircraft in question. I really hope UA just refunded the money and told them to take a hike.

Sounds like a full time gig. Amazing people come up with questionable ways to make money, rather than put their brains to better use.

I feel sad too for his wife and kids. I bet he behaves like that in all aspects of his life.

Sadly, there's always a category of low-life who prefers extortion. The disappointing thing is that these extortionists are supported by the full weight of the law in the US.

What's different about this case is that the first we're hearing about it is from a neutral witness instead of the more common story fed to and repeated by the media by the complainant or their lawyer.

FA's have safety and security duties to perform and the aircraft does not push until those are performed. At the point where passengers are advised that they must take their seats before the aircraft can push, the cabin door has been closed (as it was here because it had to be opened) and that is just part of the process, including exit row briefings and a safety check of seatbacks, tray tables, and seat belts. Not to mention galleys and other items.

Crew are also trained to assess the situation. Aircraft are not a bus where the driver can simply pull over to the side of the road and kick a problem passenger off. People who are a problem at 0 feet, are potential dangers at FL 35. That places passengers and crew at risk, leads to diversions and the like.

While the delay is regrettable, it is something which the Captain would have weighed before making the final decision.

No kidding. He sure seemed to have $$$ in mind at the end of this "ordeal"!

Can't United ban him from future flights? Presumably they have his identifying information . . . only question is whether the IT system could catch it (same name and DOB).

It would be nice if airlines handed every passenger a live cattle-prod during boarding which you could use, with impunity, on any obnoxious, annoying, drunk, belligerent or otherwise intolerable passenger who was causing a ruckus. This guy sounds like a male version of a soccer mom.

I had an awesome Sky West fligt attendant on Alaska in First from SJC to LAX. United needs a 16 week training class taught by Alaska!

However, my understanding is that Mainline does not train any UAX FAs. They are trained at the regional training centers. Is this correct?

Correct. Every airline is responsible for the training and proficiency of their own crews. If the flight is operated by Republic, Republic is responsible for training and may outsource it (but more likely to a firm like FlightSafety than United, and even then typically only very small operators). Also explains why each Express operator's FAs have their own nuances and quirks.

United no more trains UAEX FAs than they do Air Canada FAs.