Unruly Passenger Forces United Flight To Make SFO Stop
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- An United Airlines flight from China to Newark was forced to make an unscheduled stop at San Francisco International Airport after the flight crew became exhausted from delays caused by an unruly passenger while the plane was boarding in Shanghai, officials said.
Wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, a passenger became unruly after boarding United Airlines Flight 87 at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport Sunday for a direct flight to Newark International, United Airlines said in a statement.
The unidentified passenger became agitated after being denied an upgrade. He stood up and yelled at passengers and demanded he be allowed to use two seats in his row that had already been assigned to others.
The outburst delayed the flight as attendants tried unsuccessfully to calm him down.
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The unruly passenger "refused to comply with crew member instructions and became increasingly disruptive when asked to deplane the aircraft," United said in its statement.
Eventually, he was escorted off the plane and the flight departed for New Jersey.
But Jonathan Guerin, a spokesman for United Airlines, said the 3-hour delay caused by the unruly passenger forced a stop in San Francisco to get a replacement crew.
Once the new crew was onboard, the flight continued on to New Jersey.
