A United Airlines flight attendant is facing backlash for her unprofessionalism. Social media users are calling out the woman for refusing to help an elderly disabled passenger.
The incident came to light when another passenger on the flight shared their account on Reddit. “I feel so bad for the disabled lady,” the passenger who was flying first class shared. The person noted how “heartbreaking” it was to see the passenger who needed “a little help” get mistreated.
Firstly is it not common decency and manners to help anyone who needs assistance but even worse that a person with a mobility issue looking for support is treated in such a way.
We thought basic training around engaging with our disability community was something that airlines… pic.twitter.com/6IAcDwfW5n
— Access For All Ireland (@AccessForAll7) April 23, 2025
In the post, the passenger who witnessed the incident explained how the senior passenger was carrying a “small purse and a fully collapsed cane.” The post detailed how the disabled passenger needed help putting her belongings in the overhead bin.
The elderly woman proceeded to “politely” ask the in-flight crew for help. This is when one of the flight attendants started getting “super defensive and aggressive.” The said crew member also allegedly lay into the passenger.
According to the Reddit post, “[She started] saying something like ‘ABSOLUTELY NOT, I CANNOT DO THAT DUE TO UNION REGULATIONS, WHAT IF I GET INJURED, MA’AM, MAAAAAAM!!!’”
The reddit user also shared how the elderly woman kept her calm during the whole situation and kindly asked for help, revealing that “she’s disabled and can’t do it herself.” She also went on to add how she has never faced a problem in a similar situation before.
After the lady asked for help several times, the flight attendant argued that the passenger was being “unreasonable.” According to the post, a fellow passenger finally came to the elderly passenger’s aid by helping her store her cane and luggage in the overhead compartment.
“Absolutely Not, Ma’am!” United Flight Attendant Refuses To Help Disabled First Class Passenger—Then Calls Security To Remove Her – View from the Wing https://t.co/mUG6qj6ve6
— gary leff (@garyleff) April 22, 2025
The matter escalated as the United Airlines employee “angrily slammed the bins closed and stomped back to her jump seat.” A few minutes later, the pilot made an announcement informing the passengers that the aircraft was being redirected to the gate because there had been an “incident.” Airport Security boarded the plane soon after and told the disabled passenger that she had been accused of “talking down” to the crew member.
“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),” the Reddit post read. In the footage posted online, the lady can be spotted explaining her side of the story to the security. Several other passengers back her account up in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dF2DCzZs68s
The reviewer noted how they were “really bothered” by the flight attendant’s resistance to help the elderly lady while noting that the passenger’s belongings had weighed “2lbs each tops.”
In the post, the Reddit user notes how the least the crew member could have done was find another flight attendant to help the senior. Instead, she went “super agro” and proceeded to call security on the passenger who was merely asking for help.
The people in the comments section of the post did not take too kindly to the mistreatment of the old lady. “What a hill to die on. I’ve seen FA’s literally rearrange entire overhead bins. Strange,” one noted. “I’ve literally never seen an FA not help in this exact situation,” another pointed out.
