17 July 2023 , 22:16
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An unruly passenger was forcibly removed from a transatlantic journey after creating a commotion over his meal choice.
The United Airlines flight traveling from Houston, Texas, to Amsterdam had to make an unexpected diversion to Chicago's O'Hare Airport on July 9, due to the passenger's behavior.
Eyewitnesses captured videos of the passenger vehemently complaining about not receiving his preferred meal. Despite having paid an additional $1,000 for a business class ticket. He can be heard saying he was "treated like s**t."
While some of his remarks were unclear due to the audio quality, phrases such as "I've been a United flyer for a long time," "f**k you," and "you're a douche" could be discerned from the footage, the DailyMail reports.
The incident occurred while the aircraft was still flying over Lake Michigan, leading to the decision to divert the plane and address the situation on the ground.
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In the Chicago terminal, the passenger continued his argument with United ground staff (reddit/u/pudgimelon)In a separate video recorded at the Chicago terminal, the passenger continued his argument with United ground staff, questioning their treatment of him and referencing his recording as potential material for news coverage.
He said: 'I would love for you to be on Fox News. Why do you think that one of your flight attendants is able to decide that I don't get to be treated like everybody else?"
He could then be heard complaining about how he spent $1,000 both ways from the US to the Netherlands "...to get treated like s**t and booted off a plane."
Flight Radar, a service that tracks aircraft movements, initially reported the diversion on Twitter, stating, "#UA20 from Houston to Amsterdam jettisoning fuel prior to diversion to Chicago due to an unruly passenger."
The plane was seen circling in a holding pattern above Lake Michigan to dump fuel, a safety measure to reduce the strain on the aircraft during landing.
The rowdy passenger in the United's Polaris Business Class cabin, had a lie-flat aisle seat. However, his discontent escalated when he was denied his first choice of meal.
Passengers on international flights, particularly in business class, are typically offered a full three-course meal along with additional snacks throughout the flight.
The disturbance occurred just two and a half hours into the journey, resulting in the passenger's removal.
Upon landing, the plane was refueled, and the other passengers were able to resume their transatlantic journey to Amsterdam.
United Airlines confirmed the incident to DailyMail.com, stating, "United flight 20 from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Amsterdam diverted to O'Hare International Airport and landed safely following a passenger disturbance. Law enforcement met the aircraft at the gate and escorted the passenger off the plane. The aircraft then continued to Amsterdam."
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