2023-07-11 18:48:48
A United Airlines plane was forced to change its flight path because of a passenger who angrily and severely refused the meal that was offered to him, according to the British newspaper, The Guardian.
The plane was heading from Houston Airport, Texas, to the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, last Sunday, when a business-class passenger expressed his anger at the lack of a meal he requested and replaced it with another.
The accident occurred two hours following the plane took off at 4:20 pm local time in Houston, as it was in the airspace of Chicago, Illinois.
Aviation insider XJonNYC tweeted that the flight crew had reported a passenger as a Level 1 threat, which is the lowest level of threat.
And she stated in another tweet that that traveler was angry that he did not get the meal he wanted.
In turn, the American airline stated that “United Flight No. 20 from George Bush International Airport to Amsterdam diverted to O’Hare International Airport (in Chicago) and landed safely following disturbing passengers.”
And the statement continued: “Law enforcement authorities were present at the gate of the plane, where they escorted the passenger outside before continuing the flight to Amsterdam.”
According to the “FlightRadder 24” website, the plane was delayed by just over three hours from its scheduled arrival time, as it landed at around 12:30 pm local time in Amsterdam, noting that the duration of the flight in normal conditions is nine hours and 30 minutes.
While it’s not clear exactly what meal the feisty traveler triggered, business class passengers on United Airlines flights usually get a full three-course meal plus more food throughout the flight.
And United Airlines had faced several criticisms that its meals on board its planes had failed to return to pre-pandemic standards, in addition to that it had announced last year that it would raise the price of business class tickets.
The International Air Transport Association recognized earlier this year that “unruly passenger incidents” had increased by 47% in 2022 compared to the previous year, with one violation in every 568 flights.
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