It’s not uncommon to see people removed from flights for poor behavior. However, here’s an interesting twist on that, as it seemed not all employees at the airline were on the same page about removing a traveler.
An interesting United passenger issue at Fort Myers Airport
NYDETECTIVE has police body cam footage from an incident that happened on June 30, 2025, onboard a departing United Airlines flight at Fort Myers’ Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). The reason I find this interaction noteworthy isn’t because someone was removed from the flight, but because we actually get to hear how the crew deliberates about this situation.
Police were called to a United flight, after receiving reports of an intoxicated passenger onboard who was causing a disturbance. As the police arrived at the plane, one of the flight attendants explained that the crew (including the captain) wanted the passenger seated in 24F off the aircraft.
The flight attendant claimed that the woman was stumbling and couldn’t walk straight down the aisle, that she was slurring her words, and that she gave her attitude when she asked if everything was okay.
While the initial interaction was happening, one of the gate agents was at the passenger’s seat, and she soon returned to the forward galley. That’s where it gets interesting — the gate agent seemingly came out in full defense of the passenger, asking the flight attendant if she’s sure that the passenger was under the influence of something.
The gate agent explained that she didn’t see her stumble on, didn’t smell alcohol, and claimed that the woman seemed perfectly fine to her. She was basically surprised that the crew wanted her off. The flight attendant almost seemed to take offense to that, based on the look on her face as she was told that.
Nonetheless, the woman was told she had to get off the aircraft. The captain was the one who had to tell her, and he was super hesitant to do that, seemingly.
The woman tried to refuse getting off the plane, since she felt it was unjustified, so it was a bit of a process. Eventually she agreed to get off the plane (or else all other passengers would’ve had to deplane, before she could physically be forced off).
She got a bit confrontational in the jet bridge, and then… peed a little bit in the jet bridge, through her pants, while being placed in handcuffs.
It’s rare to see the discussion among employees!
I obviously wasn’t there to see how the woman acted when she initially boarded the aircraft, so I can’t say with certainty whether she did or didn’t appear intoxicated, or under the influence of something.
The reason I find this to be so noteworthy is because the one gate agent was basically shocked to hear this woman was being removed. It makes you wonder whether the passenger’s behavior was really that outrageous, or if the two people just rubbed one another the wrong way.
I could certainly envision how the flight attendant involved in this might not necessarily be the best at deescalation, and might not have the nicest greeting at the door, based on her vibe. So I wouldn’t be surprised if the passenger was in some way out of line, based on how she later acted. Though I also wonder if this would’ve played out this way if it had been another flight attendant “greeting” passengers at the door.
As of May 2025 (shortly before this incident), United implemented a new policy regarding removing intoxicated passengers from flights. It’s referred to as the “huddle process,” and here’s how United describes it internally:
“After boarding, if two flight attendants independently observe a customer exhibiting red light behavior(s) the Inflight team will call a mandatory huddle between Inflight, Flight Ops and Airport Operations to facilitate customer removal from the aircraft. This new huddle process is designed to handle situations where red light behaviors may not have been visible during boarding and a customer that appears to be intoxicated makes their way onto an aircraft.”
What constitutes “red light behavior?” This includes things like moving in slow motion, needing time to respond, being glassy-eyed, losing train of thought, irrational statements, spilling drinks, walking awkwardly, stumbling or falling, being unable to sit upright, slurred speech, and smelling like alcohol.
It does seem like the male flight attendant standing in the background briefly chimed in at some point to say the passenger couldn’t walk straight, but otherwise, this does very much seem to be a situation between the passenger and the one flight attendant.
Bottom line
A United Airlines flight attendant noticed a woman stumbling onto the plane, and wanted her removed, after a brief interaction. When police showed up, the gate agent shared a different take, explaining that she thought the woman seemed totally fine.
Admittedly we don’t usually get to hear these interactions (it’s only possible thanks to police body cam footage, in this case). That being said, I find it interesting to actually hear the gate agent sort of challenge the flight attendant, and claim that she thought the passenger was okay.
I’m not sure to what extent the woman’s removal was warranted in the first place, but the way she interacted with officers was definitely a bit combative, and didn’t show her in a great light.
What do you make of this interaction and removal?
