FlyngSvyr

This was a first for me, so I felt the need to share.

I was towards the front of E+ on the packed redeye last night and we had an eventful flight. There was one pax somewhere behind the exit row in E- that was sporadically having verbal outbursts throughout the night. Every 30 minutes or so he would randomly & loudly shout words and phrases and wake everyone up I got the impression that he was mentally challenged and Tourette's came to mind. If he had a traveling companion, I definitely felt sorry for them as he was very disruptive and annoying many of the passengers in Economy.

As we were preparing to land & everyone was waking up, his verbal ramblings increased until we were closing in on the runway. That's when all hell broke lose!! As we were crossing the threshold I heard people in the rear of the plane start screaming "STOP HIM". It all happened very fast and as I turned my head, I saw him running towards the rear of the aircraft & get about 10 steps before a stocky guy farther back rose out of his seat & tackled the disruptive pax. With some help from other passengers nearby they pinned him down in the aisle as we touched down. Mind you this all happened within about 5-10 seconds of touchdown!!!

Needless to say, airport police met us @ the gate. After the police passed us in the aisle, the FA's ushered everyone forward of the incident off the plane quickly. Those rear of the incident remained seated while the authorities dealt with the issue. The last thing I saw was an aisle chair being brought onto the plane to strap the offender to when they eventually got him off.

And the absolute worst part of the flight.... The 30+lb bulldog (service animal) that the standby sitting in the middle seat next to me brought on the plane!!! Sweet dog that introduced himself by incessantly licking my leg when he was wedged under the seat next to me. Unfortunately, once we took off, he proceeded to pass the most foul gas for the next 4 hours that had me close to vomiting. It appears that I wasn't going to get that much sleep last night no matter what

IAH-OIL-TRASH

I experienced that on a DL flight DFW-PDX in 1993 (yes - I still remember the flight vividly) - except there was no dog on board. It's not like one can cross the street to move away from the offender.

SFO777

Wow... on so many fronts.

WineCountryUA

Unlikely an ESA as UA does not allowed them any more. Probably an in-cabin pet that should have been in an appropriate animal carrier. Not that this makes that situation any better.

Tough night, tough flight -- but you got a tale to tell next time out with friends.

FlyngSvyr

I meant to say service animal. He had a brand new looking harness with the service animal label.
Original post edited.

WineCountryUA

hmmm ... "service animal" --- might be worth reporting to UA on the "training level" of that animal.

Does not seem you need to follow up with UA on the unfortunate individual.

Steve Weagant

I would think a properly trained service animal would not be randomly licking strangers' legs. The gas part of it while unpleasant, may be difficulty to control.

rittenhousesq

As I have some knowledge of this, I can definitely state that a properly trained service animal should essentially ignore other people. Could you tell why the person had a service animal? Did they have some type of obvious physical challenge?

dmurphynj

I own (and love) a bulldog. Love him so much that I’d never, not in a zillion years, bring him on an airplane.

Bulldogs are a brachycephalic breed and cannot breathe well in normal atmospheres.

I thought United wouldn’t transport a bulldog at all; guess I’m wrong. I know for sure they’re not allowed in the cargo hold, as they simply can’t tolerate that environment.

I love this mush face, but he’ll never see the inside of an airplane cabin. He’s a Premier Nothing.

WineCountryUA

You are correct, not as an in-cabin pet.
UA's Service Animal policy does not address Pit Bull breed dogs

SFO777

How does UA or any airline check, if at all? Pax shows up at the gate with woof-woof and boards. Does the GA ask or even care?

dmurphynj

For in-cabin, I have no idea. I know that the PetSafe program (Where they go in the cargo hold) -- most definitely, they check. https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...s/petsafe.html

Pit Bulls and English bulldogs (like my pal Buster above) are extremely different. Pit Bulls are technically terriers ...

Duck1981

I would be happy to have a dog next to me who is licking my leg all along the flight but I guess preferences are different....

goodeats21

Kinda cracks me up that out of the story,the pet gets the FT focus instead of the violent passenger on the plane.
Definitely sounds like a bad flight overall. Great story to tell friends that think all this travel is glamorous.

For the OP - just a note that tourette syndrome is not what is being described, contrary to popular belief.
And it is a neurological condition, not a mental health issue with violent symptoms.

Annalisa12

How would you train a dog not to fart???