TLDR;
A mother, Shirley Yamaguchi, and her toddler son experienced a distressing incident on a United Airlines flight from Houston to Boston. Despite purchasing a seat for her son, a flight attendant gave it away, forcing him to sit on her lap for the entire flight. Yamaguchi, an Asian-American, feared speaking up due to a previous incident involving a passenger being forcibly removed from a United flight. United Airlines has apologized, refunded their tickets, and offered compensation, but Yamaguchi remains disappointed, citing a pattern of bullying by the airline.
- United Airlines gave away the toddler's seat, forcing him to sit on his mother's lap for a 3.5-hour flight.
- The mother was afraid to speak up, remembering the incident where a passenger was forcibly removed from a United flight.
- United Airlines apologized, refunded the tickets, and offered compensation.
The Incident on United Airlines [0:00]
Shirley Yamaguchi and her toddler son had a terrible experience on a United Airlines flight from Houston to Boston. Yamaguchi had purchased two tickets, one for herself and one for her son. However, a United Airlines flight attendant informed her that her son's seat had been given away, and he would have to sit on her lap for the entire three-and-a-half-hour flight. The flight was full, and another passenger quickly occupied the seat.
The Uncomfortable Flight [0:43]
Yamaguchi described the flight as extremely uncomfortable. Her 25-pound son, who is waist-high on her 5-foot frame, made it difficult for her to move or care for him during the flight. She couldn't change his diaper or easily move around the other passengers. She was just waiting for the flight to end.
Fear of Speaking Up [0:59]
Yamaguchi, a seventh-grade teacher on her way to a conference, admitted she was too scared to make a fuss. She recalled the video of Dr. Dao being forcibly removed from a United flight and feared a similar incident. As an Asian-American, she worried about her safety if she spoke up. Her family in Japan had also seen the footage of the previous incident, which added to her anxiety.
United Airlines' Response [1:33]
United Airlines issued a statement acknowledging that they inaccurately scanned Yamaguchi's son's boarding pass, causing his seat to appear unoccupied and leading to it being released to another customer. The airline apologized to Yamaguchi and her son, refunded their tickets, and offered additional compensation as a goodwill gesture.
Dissatisfaction with United's Offer [1:55]
Despite the apology and compensation, Yamaguchi expressed her disappointment, stating that she sees a pattern of bullying of passengers by United Airlines. She is not satisfied with the airline's response, suggesting deeper issues with how United treats its passengers.