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Passenger peeing on flyer in US flight reminds people of Air India ‘pee-gate’ incident
The stepdaughter of the man who was allegedly peed on accused the airline of putting the company’s needs first instead of her stepdad’s health.
In a bizarre and disgusting incident, a man allegedly peed on a fellow passenger while travelling with United Airlines. Reportedly, the airlines banned the man, but the victim’s stepdaughter lashed out at the company, accusing them of handling the situation poorly.
What had happened?
According to SFGATE, Jerome Gutierrez was travelling from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Manila, Philippines, in the business class of a United Airlines flight. According to his stepdaughter, he was asleep when a man suddenly got up from his seat and started peeing on Gutierrez. The incident allegedly occurred four hours into the flight.
Also Read: Passengers claim they sat in someone else’s urine on 10-hour-long international flight, Qantas Airways responds
“He was asleep and buckled in and was surprised when he looked at the man and thought he was dreaming,” Gutierrez's stepdaughter, Nicole Cornell, told the outlet.
“Jerome realized he was soaked from his stomach down in that man’s urine,” she added.
“I am so disgusted”
The woman further told the outlet that the staff on board asked Gutierrez “not to approach the man in fear that there would be a confrontation, and he would become violent.” Later, they provided him with pyjamas to change out of his clothes.
“They put the needs of the airline before my stepdad’s health,” Cornell wrote. “I am so disgusted and in shock with how United Airlines handled this! That is a biohazard, and the plane should’ve turned around to address this issue,” Nicole Cornell said.
Also Read: 53-year-old man urinates in cup during delay in deplaning, fellow passenger says ‘Obviously quite drunk’
How did the airline react?
Anoushah Rasta, a United Airlines spokesperson, confirmed that there was “a passenger disturbance” but didn’t disclose any details. The company added that they asked the police to meet the aircraft in Manila. “We have banned this passenger,” Rasta wrote in an email.
Reportedly, the man who allegedly peed on Gutierrez apologized to him and also “begged” him not to press charges.
Back in 2023, a drunk man peed on a female passenger in business class of Air India US-India flight. Following the incident, a police complaint was lodged. The airline also constituted an internal committee that recommended putting the male passenger on a 'no-fly' list. As the news of the similar incident on United Airlines broke on social media, media desi internet users were reminded of the Air India incident.
