Passengers on what should have been a routine United Airlines flight from Des Moines to Chicago O’Hare faced a frustrating four-hour delay on Monday after two of the flight attendants got into a fight on the airplane before takeoff.
The situation reportedly became so heated that members of United’s airport management team had to deplane the passengers off the Airbus A320, pull all of the flight attendants from the flight, and then find a replacement set of crew members to work the flight.
The incident occurred on October 27 as United Airlines flight UA-2138 was preparing to depart Des Moines International Airport in Iowa. The flight was due to take off at 11:26 am, but as the scheduled departure passed by, it soon became apparent what was unfolding.
An internal flight departure record reviewed by PYOK reveals that an argument between two of the flight attendants was the root cause of the hours-long delay.
The record states that the reason for the delay was ‘Crew availability.’ The record continues: “Disagreement on 2 of the FAs [Flight Attendants]. IFDM [Inflight Duty Manager] pulling all crew and will need to recrew flight.”
The airplane was deplaned at around 12:10 pm as United scrambled to find replacement crew members.
According to the United Airlines website, the flight ended up leaving Des Moines at 3:24 pm and didn’t arrive in Chicago until 5:09 pm – an arrival delay of four hours and 12 minutes.
Interestingly, United Airlines normally goes out of its way to explain flight delays in public comments posted to its flight status page, but no such reason was posted for Flight 2138.
A spokesperson for United Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While thankfully uncommon, disagreements between flight attendants can sometimes become pretty heated. In 2023, for example, two American Eagle flight attendants got into a fight over a seating issue, which ended up with the service being delayed by more than two hours.
In that incident, ESPN reporter Ashley Brewer documented the situation, explaining that the two flight attendants refused to work with one another after the “heated argument.”
According to Brewer, one of the passengers sitting in First Class had asked to switch seats with a man sitting in coach so she could sit with her husband. While one of the flight attendants said this was fine, the other disagreed, and a verbal fight ensued.
Matt’s Take – Flight attendants have their own ‘no-fly lists’
Flight attendants do a remarkable job at bonding with their coworkers, especially given the fact that they probably haven’t met one another before working a flight. But give it a few minutes, and they’ll be sharing deepest, darkest secrets on the jumpseat together.
It normally takes passengers by surprise that flight attendants who seem like they are good friends who have known each other for years are really just mere acquaintances who only met for the first time a few hours prior.
That being said, sometimes flight attendants just can’t gel with one another, and that means sometimes being added to a ‘no-fly list’ – if a flight attendant sees they are due to work with someone on their no-fly list, they’ll do everything in their power to get off the trip.
Air travel has now assumed the status of a night out at a roadside bar. Back in the day, we used to dress up for a flight, and be on our best behavior. Now even the cabin staff get into the act, by starting a brawl. Flying has about as much appeal as wading into a patch of poison ivy. I’d rather drive, take a bus or a train, or best of all, stay at home.
Yep, back before corporate raiders, terrorists, and fare wars.
It’s reflected top down. Leader where examples ot behavious, now we have the lowest common denominator as leaders. Maybe due to home schooling?
So, what was the fight about? Did it break out into view of passengers?