Deleted member 4452

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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/na...passenger-in-Houston-says-United-12908304.php

A Nigerian passenger has filed a civil rights lawsuit alleging that United Airlines personnel ejected her and her children from an international flight departing from Houston in 2016 because of her "pungent" odor.

The woman says in a federal discrimination suit filed in Houston Friday that she and her minor children were boarding a San Francisco bound plane — the second leg of a three-flight journey from Nigeria to Canada — when an incident occurred involving a white male passenger that escalated to her being asked by United staff to exit the plane. They eventually made their connection after a five-hour delay.
During a flight change in Bush Intercontinental Airport, Obioma arrived at her row in business class to find a white passenger sitting in her assigned seat. He refused to relocate, according to the lawsuit. The flight staff attempted to resolve the conflict, but the man persisted and Obioma agreed to take his seat nearby.

Prior to takeoff, she returned from visiting the restroom and the same male passenger tried to block her access to the seat for several minutes, according to the charges. She says a United staffer named in documents as Russel H. ordered her to step off the plane, where she was told by another United agent that the pilot had asked her to exit the plane based on a complaint from the white man sitting near her her, according to the lawsuit.

Obioma says in the lawsuit that she was informed that the business class passenger was not comfortable flying with her because she was "pungent" and informed that she could not return to the plane. Distraught, the woman explained that her children were still on board. United agents removed the children from the flight as well, and they made their connection five hours later.

Obioma says United discriminated against her because she is black, African and Nigerian. She is seeking punitive damages and attorney's fees.

Let's recap.

- White man steals her seat until she agrees to switch seats
- Same man blocks her access to her seat after she returns from the restroom
- United boots her based on the same man's complaint that she was 'pungent' which made him uncomfortable
 

Hollywood Duo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
47,923
Clearly an unacceptable scenario but I feel like something is missing here. Even before the "pungent" stuff. Seat stealing in business class? That guy must have been a very important person for the crew to give in to him like that.
 

Lurcharound

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,101
UK
I've never flown with an airline that would ask a business class passenger to ignore another passenger taking their seat. Is United really this bad?

Never mind the dubious complaint (sorry but that sounds to me like he had an issue with her race from the start) and chucking her and her children from the plane instead of the single passenger with an issue.
 

SpeedyBlueDude

One Winged Slayer
Avenger
Nov 17, 2017
1,132
Provo, Utah
I want info on that asshole.

Name and shame. No body is important enough to treat another human being like this. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth that this asshole was not only allowed to be a racist jackass, but will get away with absolutely no consequences at all. I really hope he's also being taken to court in this law suit.
 

Deleted member 42

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Oct 24, 2017
16,939
Holy shit, dude took his scam way too far. I'd be surprised if they could find him again, so United's definitely on the hook for this. How you gonna kick someone off a flight for one person saying they stink

Clearly an unacceptable scenario but I feel like something is missing here. Even before the "pungent" stuff. Seat stealing in business class? That guy must have been a very important person for the crew to give in to him like that.

Or he's just super loud
 

Deleted member 6949

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Oct 25, 2017
7,786
I don't understand why they just allowed gim to take her seat. United dragged that other dude out of his own assigned seat but this guy can just sit wherever?
 

Deleted member 14002

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Oct 27, 2017
5,121
This shouldn't be allowed.

I never understand why they don't just boot the complainers? It seems like the way to go imo. They either learn or they leave so you don't have to deal with them again.
 
Oct 27, 2017
39,148
How the fuck could they do this?

Hopefully she sue them to hell and get a nice payment out of this. These fucks get hurt when they lose money.
 

Jessie

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,921
That guy must have been a very important person for the crew to give in to him like that.

He was a white man and she was a black woman. That's all it takes to be discriminated against.

I don't understand why they just allowed gim to take her seat. United dragged that other dude out of his own assigned seat but this guy can just sit wherever?

That other dude was also a person of colour.

See the pattern yet?
 

Raiden

Member
Nov 6, 2017
2,977
Disgusting. I want to know more about that guy and who he is that he can just steal someone their seat.
 

mentallyinept

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,452
People, in general, smell bad. If you are smelling "human" you're smelling something bad. We do tons of stuff to prevent human musk from making it to other peoples noses.

There is a body odor limit that people should have to put up with, but that threshold sure as hell isn't 1 person getting a whiff. You gotta be stinking up the place from meters away. Like, the crew would have stopped your ass from getting on the plane kind of bad.

If this guy was the only one who complained, he's being a entitled prick, and this lady should get some recompense from United for enabling him and treating her that way.
 

Deleted member 42

user requested account closure
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Oct 24, 2017
16,939
I'm just surprised that they were ok with kicking an entire family off the plane

Usually you never ever do that
 

Nivash

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,473
A lot of sub-Saharan Africans do actually use products with very strong smells that stand out compared to more "Western" perfumes. It's really noticeable with both men and women of Somali heritage here in Sweden, with one scent distinctive enough that I'm genuinely curious what it is. It's sweet with a bit of spice in it. Like nothing I've smelt in Sweden before.

But come the fuck on. It's not like it smells bad or anything, it's pretty damn pleasant. People on the plane were assholes . I bet there wouldn't have been one complaint if it was Chanel no. 5, and the lengths they went to to get her thrown off seriously lights up my Racism Radar.
 

rambis

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,790
Clearly an unacceptable scenario but I feel like something is missing here. Even before the "pungent" stuff. Seat stealing in business class? That guy must have been a very important person for the crew to give in to him like that.
Ehh nobody is that important if they're flying biz class on fucking United. This is a white man being placated by what I am assuming to be a white pilot.
 

Jessie

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,921
People, in general, smell bad. If you are smelling "human" you're smelling something bad. We do tons of stuff to prevent human musk from making it to other peoples noses.

There is a body odor limit that people should have to put up with, but that threshold sure as hell isn't 1 person getting a whiff. You gotta be stinking up the place from meters away. Like, the crew would have stopped your ass from getting on the plane kind of bad.

If this guy was the only one who complained, he's being a entitled prick, and this lady should get some recompense from United for enabling him and treating her that way.

Honestly. If I could kick people out for body odour, SDCC would be a hell of a lot less crowded.
 
May 3, 2018
390
What a dickhead move, especially considering she had children with her! One thing is confusing to me though, why do they keep referencing the guy as "white man"? Was he hurling racial insults at her or something? Was he being overtly racist? I'm assuming the Houston Chronicle is just trying to stir the racial pot here or something?
 

danm999

Member
Oct 29, 2017
18,552
Sydney
She smells but I'm going to steal her seat and hold onto it for dear life.

Story checks out, not just another racist on a power trip.
 

EN1GMA

Avenger
Nov 7, 2017
3,558
Is it too hard for some people to be a decent human? It's a flight, going from point A to point B.

Just sit in your seat and hope for a safe flight.
 

BigJeffery

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
2,338
Clearly an unacceptable scenario but I feel like something is missing here. Even before the "pungent" stuff. Seat stealing in business class? That guy must have been a very important person for the crew to give in to him like that.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Clearly the guy was in the wrong, but I can't imagine any airline being okay with seat stealing.
 

KHarvey16

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,193
Any info from the airline at all? Taking someone's ticketed seat and not being forced to move seems a little odd. I'd be very interested to see what United or anyone else on the plane has to say.
 

Clear

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,623
Connecticut
United should of gave him the choice to get out of the seat or out of the plane. Should of never been a chance to have a debate, gave him all the power.

Edit: From what i read they did not even let her gather her children and United had to get them for her. The whole thing is fucked up but keeping a parent away from their children (even if it was short lived) is just vile.
 
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PoppaBK

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,165
Clearly an unacceptable scenario but I feel like something is missing here. Even before the "pungent" stuff. Seat stealing in business class? That guy must have been a very important person for the crew to give in to him like that.
Especially as she was presumably sitting with her children. So now this guy would be sitting with her kids. I think that the truth will be slightly different from her version of this story. (If anyone remembers it, considering it was two years ago and she only just filed suit).
 

PorkandBeans

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
604
So she agreed to take his seat and then when she came back to her new seat after a bathroom visit the guy who took her seat stopped her from sitting in the new seat? This doesn't make sense.
 

Just_a_Mouse

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,030
Not only does a racist white asshole accuse a black woman of smelling bad and steal her seat, but United allows it to happen and even kicks her off the plane. This is beyond sickening.

I hope whoever it was that did this is exposed.
 

D65

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,862
I'm trying to imagine how bad the smell would have to be for this to be just.
 

RPGamer92

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,850
I've been on long plane flights while sitting next to old people who smelled bad before and didn't complain.
 

Garlador

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
14,131
I had a flight staff threaten to remove me from a flight entirely when I asked another passenger if I could sit next to my wife, who has flight anxiety.

I'm baffled how this guy managed to bully his way into getting another person's seat, block her, and then get her removed. How is HE not booted instead?
 

shintoki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,444
She may have got kicked off the plane, but she'll be riding that money train soon enough
 

T'Challa Shakur

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Oct 25, 2017
2,487
Toronto
Wow....Im just gonna stop myself from getting banned because I cant believe we have people defending this man's actions here.
 

BlueTsunami

Member
Oct 29, 2017
8,872
It shouldn't have progressed beyond him being in an unassigned seat. He probably felt even more empowered after getting a way with it. But this is what happens when the bending of rules is only allowed for a specific gender and skin tone.
 
Oct 27, 2017
1,141
Yeah I'm gonna wait for some receipts. Story makes no damned sense.

I don't know about whether or not the story makes sense, but all of this information, as far as I can tell, comes from a recently filed complaint in a law suit. We haven't gotten any information from someone at the airline or any third party witnesses. It's probably a good idea to wait to see what comes out in discovery regardless of whether or not you think it's possible. And that's assuming it doesn't get settled before that happens.