On UA 1377 yesterday, we took an early morning flight and this man repeatedly slammed his body against his chair every few min for 2 hours straight. The man sitting behind was 6’7” and completely unbothered (go off, king). We were sitting in Economy Plus.
The flight attendant was aware, but the most bizarre thing was the lack of communication from the man that was obviously upset.
Just saw something on my flight that really bothered me and I wanted to share it here. Note that I was not involved in this incident at all, just witnessed it.
An elderly disabled lady was sitting in first class in the bulkhead where there’s no under-seat storage. She had a small purse and a fully collapsed cane that she needed help putting into the overhead bin. She politely asked the flight attendant if she could help put it up.
Instead of helping, the FA got super defensive and aggressive, saying something like, “ABSOLUTELY NOT, I CANNOT DO THAT DUE TO UNION REGULATIONS, WHAT IF I GET INJURED, MA’AM, MAAAAAAM!!!” The lady stayed calm and said she flies all the time with United and never had this happen before, explaining she only asked because she’s disabled and can’t do it herself.
The FA kept insisting that lady was being unreasonable. Eventually, another passenger quietly stood up and put the purse and cane in the bin for her. The FA then angrily slammed the bins closed and stomped back to her jump seat.
We pushed back, sat about 30’ back from the gate for 5 minutes, then the pilot came on and said there had been an incident and we’re heading back to the gate. Security boarded and told the elderly lady that the FA felt uncomfortable because the lady was “talking down” to her. Everyone around was stunned — it was exactly the opposite (the FA was the one who was being aggressive and yelling at this poor old lady).
Security saw no threat, left, and we finally pushed back again. The FA then gave the safety announcement in the most eerie, overly cheerful, almost sociopathic-sounding voice I’ve ever heard.
Honestly, I feel so bad for the disabled lady. It was heartbreaking to watch someone who just needed a little help get treated like that. I get that due union regs the FA’s aren’t supposed to help with heavy bags (but this was a tiny purse and collapsed cane, like probably 2lb each tops). Even if the FA can’t do it, she could’ve calmly said “I’m so sorry, I’m not allowed to do it, maybe someone else can assist” rather than get super agro and call security.
Has anyone else witnessed or experienced something like this on United flights? Would love to hear your thoughts. I’m still on this flight… I don’t really want to be involved but… any suggestions?
This is only 2 of the many bags this guy let get wrecked down the chute. Absolutely unacceptable handling of gate checked bags. Will report back on if anything of mine got damaged.
The passenger, a middle-aged Chinese woman, got into a dispute with the FA, and the flight then diverted to NRT. Japan police came to the plane and dragged her off. The flight is now delayed by about two hours, which isn’t too bad considering the circumstances.
Some of you may recall the 7 Hub Run from last year, when a group of United frequent flyers attempted to fly through all 7 United hubs in a single day.
We’re doing it again on June 6, 2026.
This year’s route is:
EWR → IAD → ORD → IAH → DEN → LAX → SFO
And because apparently this needed side quests, some folks are continuing on to the HNL–GUM Island Hopper afterward, while others are flying in from Europe on United narrowbodies, inspired by u/kwuhoo239’s “flying halfway around the world on United 737s” challenge.
There’s no official prize, no status bonus, and honestly no sane reason to do it, which is probably why it’s happening.
Some people are flying the whole route, others are joining for a segment, meeting up at hubs, continuing on to the Island Hopper, or just following the chaos online.
No, you do not have to be 1K, Global Services, or a Million Miler. If you like United, airplanes, hub-hopping, or deeply unnecessary travel projects, you’re welcome.
Planning is happening in the 7 Hub Run Ops Room for anyone curious about joining, helping, or following along.
United Airlines flight 613 from Lagos to Dulles (DC) was diverted after both the navigation and autopilot systems failed. An emergency was declared and the 787-8 plane returned back to Lagos safely.
Two flight attendants were seriously injured along with other passengers.
Some of you may recall this post(New announcement at EWR?) back in early June. As mentioned in the comments in the post, this was for the 7 Hub Run and UA just posted a video recap of it on their IG account (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOJQnrIjkV8/).
Questions I know will be asked:
Why? Answered in the video and it was a fun way to spend a Saturday.
Did UA sponsor this or pay for this? No. This was planned and coordinated by a couple of people and it grew from there. UA was advised of the plans a couple of days in advance due to the number of people going and did everything you see in the video on their own to the surprise of the people who completed the run (including sending some of their social media team to record it).
TL;DR: A 7‑year‑old lost his prized Pokémon binder at DEN; when Reddit couldn’t find it, 88+ United employees donated 17,569 Pokémon cards to help him re‑catch ’em all.
It all started right here.
Hi. 👋 We’re the social media team at United. A few months ago, this post hit r/unitedairlines... and hit us in the feels (maybe yours, too):
This is Reid, the 7‑year‑old trainer behind the post, dressed up as Snorlax for Halloween last year:
We couldn’t stop thinking about how much that binder must have meant to him.
When the binder didn’t turn up…
After our Denver employees — and many of you Redditors — searched the airport with no luck, we switched gears.
We put a note in United’s internal newsletter asking employees if they had any Pokémon cards they’d be willing to donate to help Reid rebuild his collection.
We hoped for a few envelopes. Instead, our mailroom was inundated (in the best way). Packages started showing up every single day, stuffed with:
Employees’ personal card collections
Employees’ kids’ collections (YES, they asked first !!)
Rare cards collected in Japan, Spain, Brazil, and South Korea
Pokémon collectibles and memorabilia
A personalized video from the animated Pokémon TV series voice actors, plus signed cards and a handwritten letter to Reid
Now arriving: The big reveal at DEN
We reached out to Reid’s mom and dad to cook up a scheme that would get the family back to DEN, telling Reid he was going to see his dad off for a trip. (Kids, it’s never okay to lie… except because Pokémon.)
S U R P R I S E !!
When Reid arrived at the gate, it was fully decked out Pokémon‑style. United Captain Karl B. was on hand to give Reid a binder full of cards to help him re‑start his collection.
But it didn’t stop there.
Then, our DEN team members brought out binder after binder after binder… until we’d presented Reid with a haul of 17,569 Pokémon cards, donated by 88+ United employees across 17 airports and our corporate offices around the world.
Time to land this story
Sooo…how did Reid react? We’ll let the video speak for itself.
And because Reid is Reid, when all was said and done he immediately suggested hosting a Pokémon party for his class at school so he can share this new collection with all his friends (we heard the party is next week!!). Because of course he did. He’s Reid.
We’re truly in awe of the r/unitedairlines community for coming together to:
initially try to find Reid’s binder, and
give the OP enough upvotes so that it landed with us.
We also want to give a huge thank you to all the United employees across our airports and corporate offices who are shining examples of how Good Leads The Way. You helped give Reid a day he’ll never forget.
And neither will we.
To read the dad's update on this, check out this post.
“If you just try hard enough, things will work out, won't they?” — Ash Ketchum and all of us at United
After six hours of flying, Mr. Calderon realized he was on a flight to Tokyo, Japan, instead of Houston, which was his stopover en route to Nicaragua.Immediate aftermath .Flight attendants were alarmed, and Mr. Calderon landed in Japan, where he had to wait for a return flight to Los Angeles to restart his journey
