There are a myriad of reasons why an airline might postpone a flight, ranging from aircraft mechanical issues to severe weather. However, United Airlines was forced to delay a flight on Monday due to a fight between two flight attendants. The 90-minute service from Des Moines, Iowa to Chicago O’Hare International Airport was delayed just under four hours as the carrier found an entirely new cabin crew. I hope no passengers had to make a connection in the Windy City.
United Flight 2138 was scheduled to depart at 11:26 a.m., but the passengers were deplaned at 12:08 p.m. According to One Mile at a Time, the delay’s cause was listed in the airline’s internal system as “Crew Availability Flight Attendant: Disagreement on 2 of the FAs. IFDM pulling all crew and will need to recrew flight.” The in-flight duty manager (IFDM) assigns crews to flights, overseeing the flight attendants. That cause wasn’t shown to the public on United’s website or mobile app. There wasn’t a blow-by-blow report, so it’s not clear what happened before the passengers were deplaned.
It’s not easy being a flight attendant
The United Airlines Airbus A320 eventually landed in Chicago at 5:09 p.m. A frustrating outcome for the passengers who expected to arrive four hours earlier. When a flight attendant typically has a disagreement, it’s with a passenger. In 2024, Air Canada was forced to cancel a long-haul flight between Casablanca, Morocco and Montreal. While the plane was taxiing to the runway, a woman asked for a blanket. A flight attendant started screaming at the passenger and was filmed yelling, “You will behave or we will get off!” The plane returned to the gate, and the police took her off the plane. The rest of the passengers followed her off in solidarity, and Air Canada cancelled the flight.
Being a flight attendant isn’t an easy or relaxing job. They’re tasked with serving the public with a smile in the skies while also maintaining their safety during flights. Not to mention that flight attendants are severely underpaid at many carriers. Last year, American Airlines cabin crew could make as little as $27,315 per year while being required to live in the major cities that host the airline’s hubs.
