Alleged misgendering incident leads to passenger being removed from United Airlines flight

Yesterday, United Airlines in San Francisco reportedly removed a passenger from a flight because he had “misgendered” a flight attendant. Jenna Longoria reported her experience on social media.

Incident on site

Airline captains are responsible for the aircraft they fly and the safety of their crew and passengers. In addition, captains have the authority to remove passengers from the aircraft if they deem it necessary. That is exactly what is said to have happened yesterday at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

According to The Bulkhead Seat, Jenna Longoria was a passenger on one of United Airlines’ flights from SFO to Austin Bergstrom International Airport yesterday. Longoria was reportedly kicked off the plane after using the wrong pronoun in reference to one of the flight attendants. Longoria’s social media posts added that the airline claimed it was a hate crime and that she might be banned from flying with United again.

Longoria posted a video of herself discussing the incident with an airport employee after she was removed from the plane. In the video, the employee says she will not make a decision about the incident and has yet to speak with everyone involved. She reiterated that the captain’s authority must be respected because he made the decision to remove Longoria, her mother and her son from the plane. According to the video, the passengers left the plane without their carry-on luggage, which contained medication for Longoria’s 16-month-old son.

United issued a statement saying:

“A party of three departing San Francisco today was denied boarding after a discussion about excessive carry-on baggage. The matter was resolved and the customers took a later United flight to complete their trip.”

There is probably a lot more to this story than has been revealed so far, and there is a chance that it may never be fully revealed.

Latest news about United Airlines

Yesterday, United announced an update to its in-flight offerings, offering illy cold brew coffee on its flights. Starting next week, United will be the only major U.S. airline to offer cold brew on most of its flights. Until then, the coffee will be available to passengers on some overnight flights between Los Angeles/San Francisco and Newark. In premium cabins, the cold brew is complimentary, while economy passengers can purchase it.

“With more people taking to the skies than ever this summer, we’re excited to offer our passengers a new premium beverage. We’re proud to be the only major U.S. airline currently serving cold brew on most flights. We know that passengers enjoy a pick-me-up while traveling, and illy’s canned cold brew is the perfect beverage option for coffee lovers who want to stay energized and focused during their trip.” – Aaron McMillan, Managing Director, Hospitality Programs at United Airlines

illy was founded in 1933 in Trieste, Italy. Today, eight million cups of illy coffee are served in over 140 countries worldwide. In addition to being available in stores and now on airlines, illy has its own locations in 30 countries and has launched courses that Promoting a culture of quality coffee around the world through education, research and innovation.