A business class passenger flying on a United long-haul flight from San Francisco to Manila, Philippines has been banned from flying with the airline after urinating on a fellow passenger.
Jerome Gutierrez of Hillsborough, California in the Bay Area was asleep in his business class seat and four hours into the 15-hour journey, lulled to sleep by the hum of UA 189’s engines, when he was suddenly awakened by the feeling of liquid hits him.
The incident, which left passengers and crew members in a state of disbelief, occurred on December 27 when the offending traveler, reportedly in a drugged stupor, began urinating on Gutierrez, completely unaware of what he was doing.
The warm stream seeped through layers of clothing, leaving Gutierrez drenched in humiliation and disbelief.
Gutierrez had no other clothes, leaving him no choice but to remain in his urine-soaked clothes for the rest of the flight – another eleven hours as the cold, damp reality set in.
“He was asleep and buckled up and was surprised when he looked at the man and thought he was dreaming,” said Nicole Cornell, Gutierrez’s stepdaughter. SFGate.
“Jerome realized he was soaked from the stomach down in that man’s urine,” she said.
Cornell claims that the crew’s response left much to be desired.
A business class passenger flying on a long-haul United flight from San Francisco to Manila, Philippines flew with the airline after urinating on a fellow passenger.
Rather than address the obvious biological hazard or emotional distress Gutierrez faced, the crew reportedly prioritized maintaining flight order with the plane halfway across the Pacific Ocean.
Gutierrez was told to remain calm and “not approach the man for fear there would be a confrontation and he would become violent.”
“They put the needs of the airline above its health,” Cornell wrote, with palpable outrage.
“I am so disgusted and shocked by the way United Airlines handled this! That is a biohazard, and the plane should have turned around to address this problem.”
They feared a violent confrontation, Cornell explained, but in the process left her stepfather in soaked, unsanitary clothing for the remaining eight hours of the flight.
United Airlines confirmed the incident, more vaguely calling it “a passenger disruption.”
A spokesperson clarified how police were called to accommodate the flight upon its arrival in Manila.
United Airlines confirmed the incident, more vaguely calling it “a passenger disturbance,” but noting that the passenger was banned
“We have banned this passenger,” the statement read, providing little comfort to Gutierrez, who endured hours of discomfort.
In a desperate attempt to avoid legal consequences, the alleged suspect sought forgiveness and apologized profusely to Gutierrez and his family.
“He begged them not to press charges,” Cornell revealed.