United flight from Houston to Amsterdam diverted to Chicago due to 'passenger disturbance'

Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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A United Airlines flight traveling from Houston to Amsterdam was diverted to Chicago on Sunday because of an unruly passenger, the airline says.

"United flight 20 from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Amsterdam was diverted to O'Hare International Airport and landed safely following a passenger disturbance," the airline said in a statement to USA TODAY.

"Law enforcement met the aircraft at the gate and escorted the passenger off the plane. The aircraft then continued to Amsterdam."

The airline did not specify what caused the disturbance, but The Guardian reported that a passenger in business class became upset after learning his first meal choice was unavailable.

According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the flight took off at 4:20 p.m. local time in Houston on July 9. According to The Guardian, the aircraft had to circle O'Hare International Airport several times in an attempt to dump fuel before landing, otherwise the plane would have been too heavy to land.

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Unruly passengers on the rise

A recent analysis from the International Air Transport Association shows that unruly passenger incidents have increased in 2022 compared to 2021.

According to the analysis, there was one unruly incident for every 568 flights in 2022, up from one per 835 flights in 2021.

The most common categorization of incidents in 2022 were non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication.

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Delta flight diverted last month for unruly passenger

In June, a Delta Air Lines flight was diverted after an incident with an unruly passenger.

The flight, traveling from Detroit Metro Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, was diverted to Atlanta, where it was met at the gate by law enforcement and continued on to its destination with a new crew.

Delta did not provide details about the incident, but said in a statement the airline does not "tolerate threats and abuse of any kind towards our people." The airline added that it is in contact with the flight attendant to provide support and is cooperating with authorities in their investigation.

"At Delta, the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is, and will always be, our number one priority," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Contributing: Emily DeLetter

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United flight diverted to Chicago due to unruly passenger