United Passenger Says She Was Forced to Pee in a Cup on Flight

She claims employees then shamed her, and told her they would report her

United
Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A passenger claims she was forced to pee in a cup aboard a United flight after flight attendants told her she wasn’t allowed to use the lavatory until the pilot had turned off the fasten seatbelt sign.

Nicole Harper, who suffers from an overactive bladder, told KCTV that she was traveling with her family when she had to use the restroom but was told to sit back down because the pilot was expecting turbulence.

“They started doing drink service and other people were getting up at this point!” she said.

Although Harper told the flight attendant it was urgent, the crew member did not budge so Harper had to weigh her options and told the attendant she will need a cup then. Harper says she filled two cups, handed her by the employee, with the help of her husband when the attendant came back and told her to go empty the cups in the bathroom.

“She was basically reprimanding me and talking down to me through the aisle with other people listening,” she said.

The flight attendant then allegedly told Harper that she would be filing a report and would have to speak to the pilot after landing. They also would call a hazmat team to clean the row of seats where Harper had used the cup, although no mess had been involved.

A United spokesperson told TheWrap, “Customer safety is always our first priority. Initial reports from the Mesa Airlines flight attendants indicate that Ms. Harper attempted to visit the lavatory on descent and was instructed to remain seated with the seat belt fastened per FAA regulations. At no point during the flight did flight attendants suggest that Ms. Harper use cups instead of the lavatory. We have reached out to Ms. Harper to better understand what occurred and we continue to review what happened.”

Airlines are currently under immense scrutiny after a passenger was forcibly removed from a United flight last month. The removal resulted in a serious concussion, a broken nose and two lost teeth. A Delta passenger was removed from a plane when he took an emergency bathroom break while the plane awaited takeoff on the tarmac.

United suffered another controversy when a giant rabbit being transported on one of its planes died in the cargo hold while traveling on a flight from London’s Heathrow airport to Chicago’s O’Hare.

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