United Airlines Cheats Passenger by Deplaning and Denying Boarding

CHICAGO- A standby passenger was removed from a United Airlines (UA) flight at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) after initially being allowed to board.

According to OMAAT, the traveler was separated from his elderly father when gate agents refused to allow him back onboard despite earlier assurances.

The incident raises serious questions about United’s passenger handling protocols and denied boarding compensation policies. The elderly father remained onboard UA1905 to Pittsburgh (PIT), unable to communicate with his son, whose phone remained in the seat pocket.

Photo: By Venkat Mangudi – P1160934, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46460276

When Boarding Passes Don’t Guarantee Your Seat?

On Friday, May 2, 2025, an anonymous traveler and his elderly father were standby passengers on United flight UA1905 from Chicago (ORD) to Pittsburgh (PIT). They received boarding passes approximately 20 minutes before boarding began and successfully boarded the aircraft with their assigned group.

Shortly before door closure, a gate agent approached the passenger and another traveler, requesting they return to the terminal to resolve “a minor problem in the system.”

The agent explicitly assured them they would be allowed to reboard afterward. However, upon reaching the gate, a different agent informed the passenger that resolving the issue would take too long, and the flight would depart without him.

Compounding the problem, the passenger realized he had left his cell phone in the seat-back pocket. Despite his requests, gate agents refused to retrieve it.

Most concerning was that his elderly father, who depended on his son for assistance navigating airports, remained on the flight despite requesting to deplane with his son.

The situation created significant distress as:

1. The passenger was separated from his dependent elderly father
2. Communication became impossible without his phone
3. Contradictory explanations were provided about the removal
4. The passenger and his father were on the same ticket, yet only one was removed

Photo: Clément Alloing

Conflicting Explanations

When the father arrived in Pittsburgh (PIT), he inquired with United staff about his son’s removal. A gate agent attributed it to weight restrictions, but the pilot reportedly overheard and contradicted this claim, stating there were no weight issues on that flight.

For the inconvenience, United initially offered a $350 flight credit, later increased to $500 when the passenger expressed dissatisfaction. The traveler was rebooked on a flight departing three hours later.

Based on Department of Transportation regulations for involuntary denied boarding on international itineraries (the passenger was traveling on an Aeroplan award ticket involving Copa Airlines (CM) and United), compensation should equal 200% of the one-way fare (maximum $775) when arrival is delayed between one and four hours. This compensation should be provided in cash rather than airline credit.

Photo: JFK Spotting

Systemic Failures in Passenger Handling

This incident highlights several procedural failures in United’s operations:

1. Ticket verification should occur before boarding, not after passengers are seated
2. Gate agents provided false assurances about reboarding
3. Staff refused reasonable requests to retrieve personal property
4. An elderly passenger was denied the right to deplane despite distress
5. The compensation offered didn’t align with the denied boarding regulations

The traveler noted he would typically have been more assertive but was “exhausted” from “a long travel day managing my elderly father.” This points to how vulnerable travelers can be, particularly impacted by such operational failures.

What makes this case particularly unusual is that both passengers were traveling on the same Aeroplan award ticket, yet only one was removed. If there was a legitimate ticketing issue, logic suggests it would have affected both travelers equally.

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