A woman aboard a United Airlines flight has been banned from flying with the airline after creating a scene causing the airline to be diverted.
The incident occurred on July 25 during a flight from Houston to Los Angeles when the woman allegedly caused a disruptive scene, allegedly over wine, leading to the flight being diverted to Phoenix.
According to United Airlines, the woman refused to comply with flight attendants’ instructions to return to her seat, prompting a heated argument. Videos of the confrontation circulated on social media, showing a flight attendant repeatedly urging the woman to sit down, while she continued to defy him, daring the flight to land in Arizona.
Amidst the commotion, it was revealed that the woman argued with another passenger and was accused of consuming alcohol before boarding the plane. Fellow passengers expressed frustration as the flight diversion caused delays and inconveniences.
TikTok user Blake Perkins, who documented the event, referred to the woman as a “Karen” and lamented the disruption to his travel plans caused by her behavior.
In response to the incident, United Airlines confirmed that the disruptive passenger was met by law enforcement in Phoenix and removed from the plane.
The flight eventually resumed its journey to Los Angeles later that evening. United Airlines announced that the woman involved has been barred from future flights with the airline pending further investigation.
This occurrence adds to a growing trend of unruly passenger behavior on flights nationwide.
United Airlines has faced other high-profile incidents, with one passenger in business class on a trans-Atlantic flight harassing attendants over a meal preference. The Federal Aviation Administration reported about 857 cases of unruly passengers in the first half of the current year.