Unruly Passenger Forces Diversion of United Airlines Flight from Houston to Amsterdam

A United Airlines flight traveling from Houston, USA, to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, had to be diverted to Chicago due to the disruptive behavior of a passenger in the business class section, who became agitated after his preferred meal choice was unavailable.

According to The Guardian, Flight tracking website Flightradar24 revealed that the flight, which departed from Houston at 4:20 pm on Sunday, entered Chicago airspace only two hours into its journey. As a precautionary measure, the aircraft began circling O’Hare International Airport in order to reduce its weight by burning off fuel. Flightradar24 shared on Twitter that the flight was “jettisoning fuel prior to diversion” due to an unruly passenger. An aviation watcher known as XJonNYC later posted internal United communications on Twitter, confirming the presence of a disruptive passenger on board. It was also mentioned that the passenger appeared to be intoxicated, but the primary cause of his outrage was the unavailability of his preferred meal.

In a statement provided to The Guardian, United Airlines explained, “United Flight 20 from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Amsterdam was diverted to O’Hare International Airport and landed safely following a passenger disturbance. Law enforcement officials met the aircraft at the gate and escorted the unruly passenger off the plane. Subsequently, the aircraft continued its journey to Amsterdam.”

Separately, Flightradar24 reported that the flight arrived in Amsterdam over three hours behind schedule. The exact details of the meal that triggered the unruly passenger’s reaction remain unclear. On a related note, the International Air Transport Association reported an alarming 47% increase in unruly passenger incidents in 2022 compared to the previous year, with such incidents occurring once every 568 flights. In a recent incident last month, a disruptive female passenger aboard a Southwest Airlines plane from New Orleans was arrested and forcibly removed from the aircraft. Identified as 25-year-old Kamaryn Gibson from Kansas, she was allegedly intoxicated and repeatedly put her feet up while seated, kicking the passenger in front of her. Despite repeated requests to deplane peacefully, she refused to comply, resulting in the pilots having to return the aircraft to the gate for her removal, as stated by Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Captain Jason Rivarde.