A belligerent, intoxicated passenger nearly caused a full deplaning on a severely delayed United Airlines flight. But in the end, a fed-up traveler finally coaxed the man, who refused to commit to behaving onboard, to leave the aircraft voluntarily.

“Vladimir” Finally Leaves Delayed United Flight After Fellow Passenger Steps In

United Airlines flight 2731 from Newark (EWR) to Denver (DEN) was delayed 4 hours and 43 minutes—longer than the scheduled flight time. During the delay, a clearly intoxicated man, whom we’ll call “Vladimir,” refused to give the simple assurance that he would behave during the flight.

He wasn’t asked to leave initially. He was simply asked, multiple times, if he could agree to be calm and not cause problems once airborne. That’s it. He couldn’t do it. Slurring his words and visibly impaired, he refused to answer the supervisor’s reasonable and repeated request for reassurance. The supervisor, to her credit, remained calm and patient throughout the interaction.

Eventually, with Vladimir still refusing to cooperate, the supervisor returned and warned that the entire plane would have to deplane if he didn’t comply. That’s when the crowd began to turn. Finally, another passenger seated in 29A stepped in, had an exchange of words with Vladimir, and the man (finally) got up and walked off the aircraft on his own.

It was a close call—United nearly had to unload an entire planeload of exhausted travelers because one man wouldn’t verbally agree to act like an adult…

The incident was caught on video:

UA 2731 Newark > Denver passenger kicked off for unruly behavior
byu/alphaskins inunitedairlines

Kudos to Mr. 29A for talking him off the plane. One way or another, he would have been kicked off…he just saved everyone else at least an hour on a flight that was already severely delayed.

CONCLUSION

This situation could have easily spiraled into another viral David Dao debacle for United Airlines, but UA staff held their composure and another passenger managed to resolve it without having to drag the man off. Yes, Vladimir should never have made it onboard in the first place. His condition appeared obvious. Gate agents are empowered to intervene before boarding starts and it’s reasonable to question why he was even given a chance in the first place.

That said, I appreciate how ground staff tried to de-escalate this matter and gave Vlad more than enough rope to hang himself. I realize that extended flight delays can prompt extended stays at airport bars, but self-control must always be exercised…

Hat Tip: View From The Wing