United Airlines flight attendant sues over alleged retaliation after reporting safety violations

The veteran crew member also mentioned junior colleagues saying, "we have to get rid of these ‘senior mamas.’" The lawsuit contends that United is liable for failing to investigate her claims and for taking adverse employment action as a result of her whistleblowing.

United Airlines has previously taken action against union leaders who retaliated against flight attendants deemed as snitches. In those cases, United prevailed when sued by the union for protecting junior flight attendants.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), which represents cabin crew at United, asserts that their roles are critical to safety, implying that technical infractions matter. However, some argue that such complaints seem minor and do not necessarily jeopardize safety but rather affect customer service perceptions.

Flight attendant training typically lasts four weeks. They are responsible for emergency procedures onboard but are rarely called upon for such tasks. While bureaucratic factors may prevent automation from replacing some crew members or reducing staff requirements, it is argued that activities like watching videos mid-flight do not compromise safety even if they impact customer service quality.