A Utah couple flying to Costa Rica to get married were thrown off a United plane on Easter Sunday for moving to other seats after finding a sleeping man in their ticketed seats. The incident occurred when they changed planes in Houston. They claim they sat in empty seats three rows away because they didn’t want to disturb the sleeping man, and when a flight attendant asked if they were in their ticketed seats, merely asked for an upgrade. Next thing they knew, marshals ordered them off the plane. The airline claims they were “disruptive.” Read story here.
Of course, there may be more to this story than the media is reporting. I’m guessing they argued with the flight attendant, who didn’t take it well.
But why didn’t the flight attendant wake the guy up and tell him to get out of the couple’s seats? What are passengers supposed to do if someone is in their seat? Nudging the person and asking him to move might start a ruckus, and then guess who will get blamed?
United should rename itself Bloody Nose Airline, so passengers will know what to expect when boarding.
Simulated photo: What should you do if you find this at your assigned seat?