United Airlines removes first-class passenger over racist texts during flight

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By Sky Industry News

Aug 1, 2024

A United Airlines passenger was removed from a flight after another passenger captured a photo of her texting racial slurs. The incident occurred on a flight from Charleston, South Carolina to Denver.

The black passenger, who had been upgraded to first class along with his family, reported that the woman had been rude to him from the start. "Before she sat down in her first class seat (I was upgraded before takeoff) she put her bag up, looked me dead in the face and flipped me off," he said.

The woman continued her behavior by sending text messages containing racial epithets. The man informed the flight attendants, leading the captain to decide against having her on the flight. Although the plane had already left the gate, it returned so that two gate agents could escort her off. Police were waiting at the gate.

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The texts suggested an escalation of hostility, with the woman expressing hope that the man would throw "the first lunch," presumably meaning punch. This raised questions about whether such private communications should be grounds for ejection or if they posed a safety concern for the cabin crew.

This incident is reminiscent of a similar case last year involving Delta Air Lines, where a passenger's racist texts were exposed by their seatmate but did not result in any action beyond discomfort for the offender.

An online story dating back to at least the late 1990s tells of a racist passenger demanding to be moved away from someone they deemed undesirable and being met with an upgrade for their victim instead. This narrative was even turned into a public service advertisement in Portugal.

In this latest case, both parties were already seated in first class when the woman was removed due to her actions.

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