A man has been banned by United Airlines after he allegedly urinated on another passenger midway into a flight. The unidentified man was travelling aboard UA Flight 189 from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Manila, Philippines last month when he got up from his seat, four hours into the flight and started peeing on Jerome Gutierrez, who was travelling in business class and was asleep at the time.

“He was asleep and buckled in and was surprised when he looked at the man and thought he was dreaming,” Nicole Cornell, Gutierrez’s stepdaughter, was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

It was only after the man was done peeing that Mr Gutierrez realised that he was soaking from his stomach down to his feet in someone else’s urine.

As per Ms Cornell, the flight attendants told Mr Gutierrez to not approach the man, fearing it would lead to a confrontation, which could further escalate the situation.

“They put the needs of the airline before my stepdad’s health. I am so disgusted and in shock with how United Airlines handled this! That is a biohazard, and the plane should’ve turned around to address this issue.”

United Airlines confirmed the incident saying there was “a passenger disturbance” on the flight in question and that the perp had been “banned”.

“On December 28 we asked police to meet our flight when it arrived in Manila to address a passenger disturbance. We have banned this passenger,” the airline said.

Also Read | Indian Man On Board New York-Delhi Flight Pees On Co-Flyer: Sources

Previous instances

This is not the first instance when such an incident has been reported on a flight. In April last year, an Indian man travelling from New York to Delhi urinated on a co-passenger on an American Airlines flight. The accused passenger was deemed drunk by the airline staff and he urinated on the co-passenger during an argument.

In November 2022, a drunk man allegedly urinated on an elderly woman in the business class of an Air India flight. The incident was reported a couple of months later and the accused was arrested while the airline banned him from flying for 30 days.

US-based United Airlines is spreading Christmas cheer by offering free ‘Fantasy flights’ to children in need to the ‘North Pole’ to see Santa Claus. The flights will depart from 13 cities including Los Angeles London and Tokyo among others. One of the first “Fantasy Flight” took off from Honolulu on Saturday (Dec 7) bringing some smiles to those in need. “Santa has invited us to Christmas Island and all his elves are waiting there on the ground for us,” the pilot of Flight 3894, announced over the intercom.

Families that have children with cancer or who have been orphaned by the loss of someone on active duty are taken aboard a short flight that loops back around and lands right where they started. However, upon exiting, children are transported to Santa’s hometown, the “North Pole” — a fantasy winter wonderland created by United airport employees and local volunteers who “transform an average airport gate or maintenance hangar into a sea of twinkling lights, sparkling Christmas trees and Santa himself – along with his elves”.

“We’ve stocked up on de-icing fluid to fly from even more cities. United is honoured to uplift children and their families through the joy of the holiday season. Making the North Pole closer than ever is one of the many ways we can show support for the communities where we live, work and fly,” said Kate Gebo, United’s Executive Vice President of Human Resources.

Also Read | These Are The Best And Worst Airlines Of 2024, According To AirHelp Score Report

Internet reacts

Social media users lauded the move by United Airlines and called it a heartwarming gesture that would mean a lot to the kids.

“That is the nicest most heartwarming story. Thank you, United for spreading true Christmas joy!” said one user while another added: “What a wonderful experience for these children & families…ENJOY!”

A third commented: “Christmas is the season of miracles. Good on United to bring cheer to these kids.”

Flight schedule:

• Honolulu (HNL) December 5
• Washington-Dulles (IAD) December 7
• Houston Bush (IAH) December 7
• Los Angeles (LAX) December 7
• London (LHR) December 7
• Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) December 7
• San Francisco (SFO) December 7
• Tokyo (NRT) December 8
• Cleveland (CLE) December 10
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) December 10
• Guam (GUM) December 13
• Denver (DEN) December 14
• Newark (EWR) December 14

A United Airlines flight aborted takeoff after one of its engines caught fire, temporarily halting arrivals at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport amid busy Memorial Day travel.

The incident, reported on Monday, was captured in a dramatic video from the tarmac featuring smoke gushing out from one of the wings, the New York Post reported.

The United Flight 2091 was about to take off from the airport at around 2 PM (local time) when an engine of the Airbus A320 caught fire, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed.

It was expected to fly to Seattle when the engine burst into flames on the taxiway, forcing 148 passengers on board and five crew members to evacuate as the plane was towed back to a gate, the FAA and the airlines have stated in separate statements.

The FAA noted that an engine of the plane caught fire, while the airline only described it as “an issue with the engine.” 

“The fire department and medical personnel met the aircraft out of an abundance of caution,” CNN quoted United officials as saying. They added that no injuries were reported.

This incident forced the FAA to temporarily halt arrivals at the busy Chicago airport, while regular operations started at around 2:45 PM (local time).

A video, reportedly shot by a passenger from inside the plane, shows thick smoke coming out from one of the wings of the plane as it ran on the tarmac.

????BREAKING: United Airlines flight aborts takeoff after an engine catches fire at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
pic.twitter.com/h1s2o8JDMu

— The Worldview Monitor (@WorldviewFeed) May 28, 2024

The person, who took the video, has claimed that he heard an explosion just when the plane was about to take off.

“I felt the impact on my window. As I looked, the engine was on fire and smoke was coming out,” the passenger told a publication.

The airline, in its statement, further said that the engine issue was “immediately addressed” by first responders, adding that all the passengers onboard were deplaned “normally”.

“We are working to make alternative travel arrangements for customers,” it stated.

Damaged cars are seen in an on-airport employee parking lot after tire debris from a Boeing 777 landed on them at San Francisco International Airport, Thursday, March 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

A United Airlines jetliner bound for Japan made a safe landing in Los Angeles on Thursday after losing a tire while taking off from San Francisco.

Video shows the plane losing one of the six tires on its left-side main landing gear assembly seconds after takeoff. The tire landed in an employee parking lot at San Francisco International Airport, where it smashed into a car and shattered its back window before breaking through a fence and coming to stop in a neighboring lot.

No one was injured, airport spokesman Doug Yakel said in a statement.

Fire engines stood by at Los Angeles International Airport but weren’t needed, as the Boeing 777 made an uneventful landing and stopped about two-thirds of the way down a runway. Airport spokesman Dae Levine said the plane landed safely.

It was then towed away.

The flight carried 235 passengers and a crew of 14, United said. The airline said that the plane, built in 2002, was designed to land safely with missing or damaged tires. The passengers will be moved to another plane for the rest of the trip, United said.

Boeing 777s have six tires on each of the two main landing gears. Video of Flight 35 departing shows the plane losing one of the six tires on its left-side main landing gear assembly seconds after takeoff.

‘Rare instance’

Aviation experts said planes losing tires is a rare occurrence and not indicative of a larger safety issue.

“In aviation, we never want to have single points of failure if they can be avoided, and this is a case in point,” said Alan Price, a former chief pilot for Delta Air Lines.

“The remaining tires are fully capable of handling the load,” he added.

Price said a loose tire is normally a maintenance issue and not a problem created by the manufacturer.

John Cox, a retired pilot and professor of aviation safety at the University of Southern California, agreed. “I don’t see any impact for Boeing as it was a United maintenance team that changed the tire,” he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate, spokesman Tony Molinaro said.

Los Angeles, United States:

A Boeing 777 jetliner bound for Japan had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff Thursday, after a wheel fell off and plunged into an airport parking lot.

Video posted online shows the wheel dropping seconds after the United Airlines plane gets off the ground at San Francisco International Airport.

The wheel bounced into a car park used by airport employees, the local KRON4 outlet reported, with airport officials saying several cars were damaged.

United flight UA35 diverted to Los Angeles today after losing a wheel on takeoff Via @FlightEmergency

View #UA35‘s data at
https://t.co/F63EfWkMANpic.twitter.com/0bSSQE6UKu

— RadarBox (@RadarBoxCom) March 7, 2024

United Airlines said there were 249 people on board the Osaka-bound jet.

Boeing has faced a series of quality control issues, most recently in a hair-raising incident in January when a door-sized panel of a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew off the fuselage after the plane took off in Portland, Oregon.

No one was seriously hurt in the incident, which triggered a 19-day emergency grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 9s.  

US regulators last week gave Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan addressing quality control issues, with the FAA chief saying the company must “commit to real and profound improvements.”

The Boeing 777 has six wheels on each of its main landing struts and is designed to land safely if some are missing or damaged, United said.

The flight was diverted to Los Angeles where it landed safely.

Passengers were expected to be on their way again later Thursday, the airline said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New York, United States:

United Airlines briefly halted plane departures Tuesday due to a “systemwide technology issue” before fixing the problem and lifting the ground stop.

The big US carrier told AFP in a 1730 GMT email that it was holding all aircraft at their departure airports, while airborne flights would continue to their destination.

Notices on the Federal Aviation Administration cited an “equipment outage” behind the ground stop order.

But United said around 1800 GMT that the ground stop order had been lifted.

“We have identified a fix for the technology issue and flights have resumed,” United said on X, the former Twitter platform. “We’re working with impacted customers to help them reach their destinations as soon as possible.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was asked by United to pause departures nationwide. The first announcement was posted to the FAA page at 1633 GMT.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)