11 Airline Scandals That Caused A Lot Of Turbulence

Year: 2017

What Happened: A United Express flight was departing from Chicago to Louisville when a passenger was asked to give up his seat for a United employee. The passenger, 69-year-old David Dao, declined, stating he had to attend to patients back in Kentucky. Viral footage taken by fellow passengers showed Dao with blood running down his face being forcibly dragged off the plane by security.

The Aftermath: United CEO Oscar Munoz initially sided with his employees and stated, “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers,” in relation to the incident. After facing intense backlash on social media, Munoz eventually apologized and stated there would be a full investigation. The Chicago Aviation Department also opened its own investigation and placed one of the security guards on leave. 

Some media outlets were accused of victim-blaming Dao, while some questioned if the fact that Dao was Asian factored into how he was treated. 

Year: 2018

What Happened: A nine-month-old French Bulldog named Kokito suffocated on a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York City after he was placed in the overhead bin. Kokito's owner, Sophia Ceballos, claimed that a flight attendant demanded that she place Kokito in an overhead bin rather than under her seat. Ceballos assumed there was air in the bin, but Kokito died during the flight. The flight attendant later claimed that she didn't realize there was a dog in the bag.

The Aftermath: Kokito's family sued United Airlines, which settled with the family for an unknown amount. United subsequently banned 20 breeds of dogs from their flights, including French Bulldogs, which are prone to upper respiratory issues. United also teamed up with Animal Humane to review the airline's protocol and resumed allowing animals to ride in cargo during flights.

Year: 2017

What Happened: A woman flying on American Airlines flight 591 from San Francisco to Dallas-Fort Worth claimed an airline employee hit her with a stroller. In a two-and-a-half-minute video that went viral, Surain Adyanthaya can be heard exclaiming, "You can't use violence with a baby," while holding her infant child. The video also shows a male passenger coming to Adyanthaya's defense and confronting the employee in question. 

The altercation seemed to have started after Adyanthaya was told she couldn't bring her stroller into the main cabin due to size and weight restrictions. However, passengers said that not only did the male employee hit Adyanthaya with the stroller, he nearly hit her baby as well.

The Aftermath: American Airlines responded to backlash on social media with the following statement: 

The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care. In short, we are disappointed by these actions.

The airline reportedly put the employee on leave while the situation was investigated. 

Year: 2011

What Happened: Irum Abbasi was removed from a Southwest flight due to “safety concerns” after a flight attendant overheard a phone call Abbasi was making. Abbasi, a Muslim woman from Pakistan who had lived in the US for a decade, was on her way to conduct a research experiment so she could complete her master's degree in psychology. Abbasi had been on the phone and said, “I have to go.” The flight attendant heard “It's a go” and alerted security. 

TSA quickly learned the truth but the flight crew refused to let her on board and bumped her to the next flight.

The Aftermath: Abbasi went on to sue Southwest for discrimination due to her race and religion (Abbasi was wearing a hijab on the plane.) The lawsuit stated that Abbasi was “horrified, embarrassed, humiliated and confused” during the incident. Although Southwest apologized, Abbasi ultimately wanted the flight crew to be held accountable for their behavior.

Year: 2024

What Happened: In 2018 and 2019 respectively, two Boeing 737 Max jets crashed resulting in 346 fatalities. In January 2024, the door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max fell off during a flight, resulting in a massive investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA found numerous “noncompliance issues” with Boeing jets and multiple planes being grounded due to growing safety concerns. 

The CEO of Ryanair Airlines, which uses Boeing jets, noted in an interview that the airline would conduct a 48-hour inspection of all Boeing jets. Although there were reportedly no major defects with the planes, the inspections typically revealed several small problems, calling into question Boeing's quality control. 

The Aftermath: As a result of the growing safety concerns over Boeing jets, CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would step down at the end of 2024. Board chairman Larry Kellner also opted to leave his post, which would be filled by Steve Mollenkopf, the former CEO of Qualcomm. 

The issues facing Boeing also resulted in $31 billion in losses. 

Year: 2017

What Happened: A family was kicked off a California-bound Delta Airlines flight after they refused to give up one of their seats for another passenger. The seat in question was being used by the Schear family's two-year-old son who was in a car seat, but the seat was bought for and supposed to be used by the Schear's older son. 

When the father, Brian Schear, told armed security he would not get off the plane, he was told that it would be a federal offense, which would land him and his wife in jail and put their children in foster care. 

The Aftermath: Schear's wife filmed an eight-minute video of the incident which she then shared on YouTube, sparking a social media frenzy. It was later noted that Delta did require children ages two and above to have their own seat and recommended they be put in a car seat. However, the seat had to be occupied by the person whose name was on the ticket. Delta ultimately apologized for how the situation was handled.