What happens when an unruly airline passenger refuses to follow the cabin crew’s instructions? This unaware and belligerent United Airlines customer and his family found out the answer on their last flight with the carrier.
And I do mean last.
But this guy’s oblivious nature didn’t stop after being removed and banned by United Airlines. Not by a long shot. Next, this misbehaving rebel of the skies asked our advocacy team to negotiate $10,000 in compensation for his “inconvenience.”
It’s not often that I come across such a boldly-in-the-wrong consumer. In fact, I had to read through his request several times to make sure I understood what he actually hoped our team could do for him.
Here’s his flabbergasting story.
Note: I originally published this article in December 2020. It comes from our advocacy archive files but the consumer lesson is still sturdy. It was updated and checked for accuracy on September 13, 2024.
Trouble on this United Airlines flight
Ari D. and his family were passengers on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Houston in October 2020. You will likely recall that we were immersed in a global pandemic then. All airlines required passengers to wear masks on flights anywhere in the world.
Because the family had not preselected their seats, the problems started at the check-in counter. They were traveling with their young son and understandably wanted the airline to seat them together in one row.
“Our 3-year-old boy cannot sit separately from his mother or me,” Ari explained. “He starts panicking. The flight attendant told me to wait until all passengers were seated. Then we could ask others if they would switch with us.”
Once onboard the aircraft, Ari says he waited patiently for everyone to take their seats. Then he started asking passengers around him if they’d be willing to switch seats so his family could sit together.
The other passenger seated next to my family agreed to switch spots. But the United Airlines flight attendant, **** (possibly her name), didn’t allow the move. She kept refusing to let us switch seats even though both of us were okay with it.
However, before takeoff, the family was permitted to make the switch and before long, the aircraft was on its way to Houston.
Then, the troubles really began.
“My son doesn’t want to wear a mask on the flight.”
Soon into the relatively short three-hour journey, the same flight attendant noticed that Ari’s son had removed his mask. She approached the family and reiterated the same information that United Airlines repeatedly announced upon boarding the aircraft.
United Airlines requires all passengers over age 2 to wear a mask at all times during the flight. You may lower your masks temporarily to eat or drink, but they must remain on at all other times.
The repetitive announcement overhead as United Airlines passengers boarded the aircraft
Ari says that he told the flight attendant that his son wasn’t going to wear a mask. In fact, he said his boy wasn’t capable of wearing a mask.
We calmly explained to [the United Airlines flight attendant] that my son could not wear a mask. I told her that his medical conditions prevented him from doing so. Then I explained that he gets panic attacks and cries when something is covering his face.
I DID NOT need to explain the circumstances as to why he could not wear a mask and [why I] was taking [his mask] off. I told her that I was not going to give my child a mask and make him suffer. Out of courtesy. I explained all this to her. LEGALLY, I do not need to explain, nor should the flight attendant have asked why my son cannot wear a mask.
Not the end of the story
After Ari told the United Airlines flight attendant that he refused to make his child wear a mask, she walked away. But when she returned, she had a face covering for the boy.
“She wasn’t wearing gloves and the mask wasn’t in a package,” he recalled. “This is not called ‘practicing safety.’ For all I know, [the flight attendant] could have passed something to my child from the exposed mask!”
Confident that he was within his rights to refuse to force his child to wear any mask on the flight, Ari thought that was the end of the story. He settled back into his seat and tried to enjoy the rest of the trip.
But he would soon find out that United Airlines definitely didn’t intend to let that be the end of the story.
Fact: Airline passengers must follow the instructions of the in-flight crew
When the flight landed in Texas, things went from bad to worse for the family. The repercussions of Ari’s misunderstanding of his right to ignore the instructions of the United Airlines in-flight crew became clear.
As he left the aircraft, Ari was surprised when security surrounded him.
The flight attendant was shouting at me from one end of the plane that security officers were waiting for me. She waved her arms, yelling, ‘here he is!’ and ‘This is him!’ As if I were a criminal or a murderer on an airplane. THAT WAS SO HUMILIATING!
Ari said that he then had a calm conversation with the security officers.
“They explained the mask rules on flights during the pandemic again and that a child over age two must wear one,” Ari remembered. “I did appreciate that they were able to talk to me respectfully. I wasn’t given this [mask requirement] information before boarding at LAX.”
But despite the airport security officers’ low-key nature, a simple lesson of mask etiquette wasn’t their primary intent. Ari soon learned that his refusal to make his son wear a mask on the flight was a significant transgression.
The interview concluded with the agents making a copy of Ari’s identification. Afterward, they informed the family that United Airlines had canceled their return flight. They were not welcome on board United Airlines ever again.
Ari couldn’t believe the airline would ban him from future flights over this simple misunderstanding.
“I was totally humiliated,” he recalled.
United Airlines expects you to follow the rules
When Ari’s request for help landed on my desk, I was more than a little confused. I had just flown from Newark to Phoenix on United Airlines the same week. So I knew that to check in, all passengers were required to click a button to indicate their agreement to wear a mask throughout the flight. Passengers who refused to agree could not check-in.
That information was also displayed on my digital boarding pass.
Additionally, the repetitive reminders began the day before the flight and continued throughout the airport and onboard the aircraft. In fact, it was impossible for a traveler not to be aware of the mask requirements.
During the pandemic, the mask requirement mantra was repeated at every step of the air travel journey. It was impossible to escape this information that was visible:
- At the time of ticket purchase
- 24 hours before your flight in an email
- At the check-in counter
- On billboards and flashing signs in the airport
- Repetitive loudspeaker announcements
- On the floor in areas where passengers might tend to congregate (baggage claim, check-in)
- Announcements on the plane — over and over — by the pilot and flight attendants
No, you will not get a $10,000 award for refusing to comply with United Airlines rules
I read through Ari’s request for help several times to make sure I understood his tale and what he was asking. Yes, he really wanted my advocacy team to broker a $10,000 settlement over this self-created incident caused by his own bad behavior.
Of course, the simple answer to the request was “No.” My consumer advocacy team would never mediate on behalf of a passenger who refused to comply with the CDC’s recommendations and the airlines’ requirements meant to attempt to quell a global pandemic.
An airline doesn’t owe anyone a cash award because you (or your child) can’t wear a mask on a flight during a pandemic. Of course, no one wants to torment a child with a mask, but the coverings were meant to protect the other passengers. You’re showing respect and concern for travelers and the flight attendants around you by complying with the rules. It’s proper etiquette, whether your personal beliefs align with the rules or not.
During the pandemic, no one was forcing a face covering on anyone. But if you wanted to fly anywhere, the masks were required. It’s that simple. In fact, in 2021, the TSA increased the fines for passengers who violate the federal mandate to wear a mask on all public transportation systems in the United States. A first-time offender could incur a $500 to $1,000 fine. Subsequent offenses could lead to fines from $1,000 to $3,000.
The airlines – including United Airlines – are willing to ban passengers — permanently
It won’t surprise regular readers of our site that the airlines don’t often tolerate passenger shenanigans. We know all carriers will not hesitate to ban troublesome travelers.
- Surprise! You just got banned from flying. Now what?
- This request for an upgrade failed in the worst way
Warning: Airlines often share information about troublesome passengers. So if one airline blacklists you, multiple airlines might do the same. And, by the way, the cruise lines are similarly more than willing to blacklist customers who are identified as problematic. (See: These cruise ship passengers got banned forever. Here’s why)
The lesson? Don’t ignore instructions from your flight crew (or cruise crew), or you may discover that you can’t fly (or cruise) anywhere with the line again.
The bottom line: Ignoring in-flight rules won’t lead to compensation
In the end, I explained to Ari that there was no way that our team would mediate his case. I explained to Ari why we would not take his case:
Because of the global pandemic, virtually every airline across the world currently requires all passengers over age 2 to wear masks in the airport and throughout the flight. The airlines are asking passengers who are unable to wear masks to forgo air travel at this time in the interest of public safety. Each week, the airlines are banning more and more travelers from future travel for refusing to wear masks and/or for challenging this requirement. I’m sorry you were unaware of this situation, but I would recommend that if your son is not able to tolerate a mask that you limit your travel until the pandemic is over — for his safety and for the safety of others.
Michelle Couch-Friedman, Travel Ombudsman
With that, I closed the door on Ari’s $10,000 claim against United Airlines and I didn’t hear from him again. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Consumer Rescue)
*Before you go: Why did this woman tell our team that she was nearly killed by an in-flight injury?
Another entitled fool, who is willfully ignorant of rules he believes he should be exempt from. He shouldn’t be allowed on a commercial aircraft ever again.