A father is going on a bit of a social media crusade against United Airlines, following an unpleasant recent flight. He has a point with his criticism, but the irony is that what he’s describing is incredibly common, and could just as easily happen on any airline. Does that make it okay, though?
In this post:
Couple have “nightmare” United flight with toddler
A Maine family recently took a 10-day vacation, flying United in both directions. On June 29, 2025, the family was wrapping up their trip, with the last flight being from Chicago (ORD) to Portland (PWM), on a United Express regional jet. The couple claimed they were so frustrated by what happened that they’ll never fly United again, they’ve canceled their premium credit card with the airline, and they’re demanding government intervention.
The father posted on Threads and got quite a response from others. The couple also had a CBS News Chicago interview, which you can see below.
Long story short, this incident is primarily about how hot the cabin of the plane was during boarding. It was a hot day in Chicago, and it would appear that the APU was also inoperable. Here’s part of the Substack he wrote, which offers the most thorough version of events:
We settled in, and the plane began to fill with other passengers. As it did, so did the cabin temperature. Outside in Chicago it was approximately 90°F, with a heat index of 95. Factor in the blacktop tarmac and a low-riding regional plane, and we turned into an oven.
My Garmin watch began to alert me to a rising heart rate. I suddenly became acutely aware of how incredibly hot it had become inside the cabin. I looked at the time—it had been 30 minutes since we boarded, with no sign of takeoff. I opened all three of our air vents and took off my son’s outer layers. If I’m roasting, he definitely is.
His main way of communicating with us is through a series of gestures that scientists are still working to decipher—early human grunts and whistle cries that can and will wake the ancestors. My son started grunting. I felt his little legs—they were hot to the touch. A moment later, a flight attendant spoke over the loudspeaker:
“Please, if everyone could open the air vents to try and circulate the air, it might make all of us a little less miserable. I apologize—I don’t have more information. I’m just a flight attendant and they don’t tell us anything.”
Not a great sign of things to come.
Opening all the vents seemed to have a negative effect. The A/C wasn’t on, and all it did was circulate increasingly hot air. I started using water from our dwindling supply, placing drops around my son and fanning him. He got more fussy, more squirmy. I pushed the call button. A few moments later, a flight attendant came over.
I said:
“I’m beginning to seriously worry about my son’s health. He’s only 15 months and can’t regulate his body temperature. We need off the plane, or the A/C needs to start cooling his body down.”
She replied:
“I’ve had other passengers tell me they’re starting to get lightheaded. I’ll go talk to the captain.”
I looked at the clock—over 45 minutes since boarding.
Another five minutes passed. A different flight attendant came by and dropped off a bag of ice for my child and immediately walked away. We were left speechless. I placed the bag of ice on my son’s back—not directly on skin; that’s dangerous. Reminder: he’s a toddler and has no clue why he’s melting or why I’m now trying to freeze his back.
At this point, I got my phone out while my wife attended to our son. I began composing a social media post saying I was boiling alive inside a United plane in Chicago.
As I was finishing it, the captain suddenly said:
“Prepare for takeoff.”
Cold air finally started pouring in as the engines fired up and we left the ground. By the Gods, my son began to cool down—no thanks to anyone at United.
Throughout this entire experience, we were never offered water or anything cool to drink. We were never given an explanation as to why we sat for so long, or why it was okay for United to treat us like a garbage barge.
Let me be clear: my wife is a physician. If it weren’t for her expertise, my son might not be as healthy as he is today. She and I worked together to cool him down. It took both of us.
United ignored the words of a physician and a parent. They endangered his life—and the lives of everyone else on that flight.
United has offered the family $1,050 in vouchers and deposited 10,000 MileagePlus bonus miles in their account. The father also received a phone call from a Global Services represented, “only to mock [his] demand for real accountability.” According to the father, the representative asked what outcome he wanted, and when he said he wanted a full refund, she fired back “oh, so you wanted to travel for free?”
Are we too forgiving of this commonplace issue?
It’s pretty clear what was going on here — the regional jet had a broken APU, meaning that the ability to regulate the temperature in the cabin prior to the door closing was limited. A broken APU is deferrable maintenance, and this happens every single day on a countless number of airlines. It’s probably the single most common maintenance issue that impacts passengers.
Honestly, there’s not much difference between airlines in how they handle this. Most airlines don’t take a plane out of service due to a broken APU, so I don’t think there’s anything here specific to United. American, British Airways, and Emirates, would all do exactly the same thing. $1,050 in vouchers for a broken APU sounds like quite the haul.
But here’s the thing — just because something is a common practice, doesn’t mean it should be… right? For what it’s worth, here’s what the father is demanding:
This is bigger than just my family. I will never fly United again. Many folks don’t have that luxury—and maybe I won’t either someday.
But what I am asking for is federal oversight.
I’m asking that United—a mega-corporation that has received massive public assistance through bailouts and subsidies—be held accountable.
I’m calling for:
- Federal regulations on cabin temperature
- Time limits on tarmac idling based on plane type and ventilation capability
My son and my family were held hostage inside a plane—not by terrorists, but by corporate oligarchs whose only concern is the almighty dollar.
We need to restore the balance of power.
These companies need to remember they are nothing without us.
He has a point. We have regulations around how long planes can sit on the tarmac before passengers have to be given the option to deplane. Should there be some regulations about the maximum safe temperature in a cabin?
I guess the question is, how would this work logistically? There would be someone with a temperature gun to determine how hot the cabin is? And if it reaches a certain point, would everyone be forced to deplane, and the plane would be taken out of service, or…? Or should all planes with broken APUs just be removed from service, even if temperature isn’t a major issue?
Now, in fairness to the airline, it’s worth noting that if the family felt like the condition was getting unsafe, they could’ve deplaned from the aircraft, and told the crew they didn’t feel safe. When the door is open, there’s nothing preventing you from deplaning, and requesting to be rebooked on another flight.
Obviously that would be inconvenient, but if you genuinely have concerns for your child’s safety and feel you’re being held hostage, that is an option you have.
Bottom line
A family recently ended up on a United Express jet at Chicago O’Hare with an inoperable APU, on a hot day. That meant the cabin was uncomfortably hot. The family is angry that the airline would create such unsafe conditions, and has pledged to never fly United again, and to hold the company accountable.
The family has a point about general concerns for wellbeing when you’re loading people onto a plane with a broken APU on a hot day. Maybe there should be some regulations surrounding that. That being said, I’d hardly consider this to be unique to United, as just about every airline in the world will fly a plane with a broken APU.
What do you make of this incident, and airline accountability in situations like this?
I think all of us at one point or another have been stuck at the gate, tarmac, wherever, on a very uncomfortable aircraft.
This is a very real and valid concern. What is uncomfortable for a 40 year old healthy adult can get to be health and even life threatening for babies, small children and older adults. Persons with diabetes are also endangered by a very hot environment.
While this man's story is...
I think all of us at one point or another have been stuck at the gate, tarmac, wherever, on a very uncomfortable aircraft.
This is a very real and valid concern. What is uncomfortable for a 40 year old healthy adult can get to be health and even life threatening for babies, small children and older adults. Persons with diabetes are also endangered by a very hot environment.
While this man's story is filled with drama, it is quite valid. Most cities in the US are quite warm during the summer months. This is only going to get worse.
Said Brad, RN, BSN.MSN, CNOR
Very easy solution, the captain can refuse boarding until he feels the Cabin is cool enough to accommodate the passengers and there are temperature guns that passenger service can go on board and take a reading of the current temperature. Nobody likes it when the captain delays boarding because then the agents are gonna have to hustle and may take a delay. nothing was mentioned about the ground power unit to see if it was...
Very easy solution, the captain can refuse boarding until he feels the Cabin is cool enough to accommodate the passengers and there are temperature guns that passenger service can go on board and take a reading of the current temperature. Nobody likes it when the captain delays boarding because then the agents are gonna have to hustle and may take a delay. nothing was mentioned about the ground power unit to see if it was putting out cool air. That should’ve also been done.
I mean, we all know it takes special care to cook a toddler. Sous Vide preferred...
Joking aside! And yes, that hot of a cabin should trigger deplaning if the remaining wait time is unknown or greater than X minutes. Make it a rule, since for-profit corps will never care unless forced to care.
And the whole cabin crew not knowing what's going on is unacceptable also. Why would a data-based megacorp like United...
I mean, we all know it takes special care to cook a toddler. Sous Vide preferred...
Joking aside! And yes, that hot of a cabin should trigger deplaning if the remaining wait time is unknown or greater than X minutes. Make it a rule, since for-profit corps will never care unless forced to care.
And the whole cabin crew not knowing what's going on is unacceptable also. Why would a data-based megacorp like United not have a way to inform crew? Or if the the cockpit crew knows, why don't they inform the cabin crew?
How about this solution, don’t fly with your toddler. If your first response was to post on social media, you need to get a life. I agree with a previous post, you’re a snowflake. Do everyone a favor and stay home.
United Express regional jet , get it correct one of theses days will you! It is not a mainline United crew or aircraft.
"they could’ve deplaned" ... "to be rebooked on another flight"
Rebooked for free? Or forced to buy new tickets?
I've been on a plane where someone fainted during boarding due to the temps. We were then delayed because they had to replace items in the med kit. Some cabin temperature guidelines for boarding would be great
Super Karen. Maybe he should keep his own air start unit handy for future flights
So, short version. P,and has no A/C, pax got hot, but could deplane anytime. They decided they'd rather put up with the heat, depart on original flight, complain and get miles and $s. So, about $350/head to these pax. Would I be willing to go through this for $350. Probably, since I've gone through things like this for zero $s.
There’s this thing called gpu and PCA. Why they don’t have it is a shame.
I was also once in this situation.
Sat in A320 in SFO with ultra hot cabin.
Pilots late, empty cockpit.
After some talks with the cabin crew I learned that without a mechanic or flight deck crew its not allowed to run the APU unattended.
If you would run a modern airport infra you would have AC from the ground.
Newsflash! Airplane is hot when it is on the tarmac. Sure, ORD and most has at gate piped in A/C, but it only does so much. Running the APU at the gate is generally a no-go due to environmental regs and not wanting to waste fuel.
What a drama queen. His kid was going to be fine. Have been on plenty of hot planes, including with kids. This is next level b%tching, including insistence on more rules/oversight.
I believe SeaTac Airport attaches a hose to aircraft parked at the gate which pumps the airport's AC into the cabin. It's marketed as a greenhouse gas reduction strategy (the argument being the grid in Seattle is much cleaner than the aircraft's own onboard power), but wouldn't it also help situations like this?
For all of you who are calling the parents Social Justice Karen's, why don't you take your toddler and lock them in your car without AC on a day where the heat index outside is 95°+. Let them stew for 30 minutes then check to see how they're doing. Maybe if your kids wind up in the ER with heat related issues you'll see things differently.
agree.
Yet another entitled snowflake who thinks his moral outrage should be everyone’s moral outrage. Sitting on a 90-degree plane is uncomfortable, it’s not really dangerous. And if sitting there presents a medical concern for you, get off the plane.
And…the “corporate oligarchy” stuff is way dramatic and where credibility is lost here. I’m pretty sure United execs are not sitting around trying to find new and creative ways to cook their passengers. It’s not...
Yet another entitled snowflake who thinks his moral outrage should be everyone’s moral outrage. Sitting on a 90-degree plane is uncomfortable, it’s not really dangerous. And if sitting there presents a medical concern for you, get off the plane.
And…the “corporate oligarchy” stuff is way dramatic and where credibility is lost here. I’m pretty sure United execs are not sitting around trying to find new and creative ways to cook their passengers. It’s not okay, but it’s not a national crime either.
Seems like it shouldn't be an issue to have a cabin thermometer installed and regulations that require the aircraft to return to the gate and deplane if they're still on the ground 15 minutes after the inside thermometer hits 90*F or whatever temp you want to draw the line at. That way aircraft aren't just being automatically removed from service when the APU is out while temps are more mild, but does lower the risk...
Seems like it shouldn't be an issue to have a cabin thermometer installed and regulations that require the aircraft to return to the gate and deplane if they're still on the ground 15 minutes after the inside thermometer hits 90*F or whatever temp you want to draw the line at. That way aircraft aren't just being automatically removed from service when the APU is out while temps are more mild, but does lower the risk of heat stroke/heat exhaustion in passengers during summer months.
With regards to cold temps, you can always put more clothes on, or get a blanket, or stretch your muscles to get your blood circulating and raising your body temp. But you can't keep taking clothes off in hot temps, and depending on the humidity that can also lower the temperature at which your body can regulate itself through sweating. If the sweat isn't evaporating, it isn't actually cooling you off.
And with an actual thermometer, this lunatic and his oven accusation of unsafe will get busted right away.
Or be proven right. I've had to deal with summer temps with no AC in my own home. Temporary window units helped the situation somewhat in my office room and my brother's, but the rest of the house was often reading high 80s/low 90s during the day and was basically uninhabitable.
I'd also point out that infants/toddlers/elderly are just not able to regulate body temperature as well as adults, so any regulation should obviously...
Or be proven right. I've had to deal with summer temps with no AC in my own home. Temporary window units helped the situation somewhat in my office room and my brother's, but the rest of the house was often reading high 80s/low 90s during the day and was basically uninhabitable.
I'd also point out that infants/toddlers/elderly are just not able to regulate body temperature as well as adults, so any regulation should obviously be tuned towards the safety of those more vulnerable travelers rather than assuming a frictionless and healthy adult.
If only the US had a government with a spine and regulations forbidding this and forcing huge compensation on citizens subjected to heat stroke-inducing temperatures.
Shameful. Only in a Banana Republic are lives at risk this way. An United has zero incentives to do anything about it -- it is obvious that the airplane was not fit to fly passengers but it would have cost them money to take it out of service (but no...
If only the US had a government with a spine and regulations forbidding this and forcing huge compensation on citizens subjected to heat stroke-inducing temperatures.
Shameful. Only in a Banana Republic are lives at risk this way. An United has zero incentives to do anything about it -- it is obvious that the airplane was not fit to fly passengers but it would have cost them money to take it out of service (but no fines/costs to board passengers) so they didn't.
Shameful Banana Republic
Are we talking about the 737MAX?
Now that's bananas.
The US is an babana republic with a fascist government constructing concentration camps. They are absolutely not interested in matters such as this.
To be expected. United is nothing more then a Cattle car wrapped up in their CEOs smooth words.
Yeah, dad is a total drama queen. A whiner looking for attention and to maximize profit from this in some way. Sure, it's very uncomfortable when something like this happens. Definitely not ideal and something that probably shouldn't have been handled as it was (on the maintenance end). But it sounds like the cabin crew did all they could to help. For this whiny little snowflake to claim that they tried to "cook" his toddler...
Yeah, dad is a total drama queen. A whiner looking for attention and to maximize profit from this in some way. Sure, it's very uncomfortable when something like this happens. Definitely not ideal and something that probably shouldn't have been handled as it was (on the maintenance end). But it sounds like the cabin crew did all they could to help. For this whiny little snowflake to claim that they tried to "cook" his toddler is absolute BS. I wonder if he took his covid masque off before writing that gem on social media.
Also, not mentioned, is that the RJ wouldn't have technically been a UA plane. It belongs to the regional carrier who is the one that mishandled the APU issue. Still, nobody was getting "cooked" and dad needs to collect his $1050, hop in his Subaru and STFU. So tired of entitled jerks like this who have no tolerance for anything.
To have a broken APU be a common occurrence, one has to wonder if it was built in the US. With Americans be lazy, not surprised the lack of craftsmanship and reliability. Way to bring manufacturing back to the US; there will be more defects than one can count.
Broken APUs seem to be very common. But the question is why? You hear about inoperable APUs all the time, and somehow we just accept it as normal. Is it just shoddy craftsmanship? I mean, whoever manufacturers these APUs is probably laughing all the way to the bank because they've been selling second-rate devices for years, even decades.
A few days ago I had the opposite problem. We were stuck on the tarmac for 30 minutes on a plane with an APU that was working too well. 35°C outside, somewhere near the freezing point inside. After a few minutes almost everyone was starting to take jackets, extra shirts or scarfs from their bags. Keep in mind that in Italy we are not used to strong AC like in the US. Once the plane started the engines the temperature went back to a normal level.
35 C outside, 35 F inside :P
If the APU unit is out the only other option would be take the a/c out of service and cancel the flight. Then passengers are pissed because their flight is canceled and likely stuck in Chicago for a day. The FA gave them ice. What else should the crew do?
Maybe what this Karen should have done is realize that the plane is too hot for their toddler, asked to be deplaned and reaccommodated.
This Karen turn to social media Jesus and prayed.
Now this lunatic gets a gospel instead of a punishment.
Catch 22 for sure. For the most part, the APU is deferrable. The MDM or maintenance dispatch manual, will list the alternatives. Many airlines will prohibit the carriage of live animals in the cargo hold during summer months for reasons similar to this. The "big yellow hose" attached to the aircraft is supposed to provide heat and air but, in most cases is vastly under powered on severely hot days. My guess is the only...
Catch 22 for sure. For the most part, the APU is deferrable. The MDM or maintenance dispatch manual, will list the alternatives. Many airlines will prohibit the carriage of live animals in the cargo hold during summer months for reasons similar to this. The "big yellow hose" attached to the aircraft is supposed to provide heat and air but, in most cases is vastly under powered on severely hot days. My guess is the only safe recourse is to deplane even though that's going to mess up plans, etc. As far as FAA investigation, I think there should be some re-examining of this problem. It's not going to go away on its own. "The temperature of the flight deck, cabin or cargo hold carrying live animals must be between the range of LL°F or HH°F. Otherwise, persons and live animals shall be deplaned until such time as the temperature range is returned to the acceptable temperatures."
UA is the worst on temp! Never have that issue on DL, sometimes it can be uncomfortable sure but not UA’s profusely sweating to shaking cold and back again.
I'm actually quite impressed with the FA producing a bag of ice.
Would an American FA have been so coooperative?
I find offices in Texas far too cold, year-round.
A thicker shirt is feasible in winter, but not in summer because then when one goes outside ...
So one keeps a jacket in the office to wear only inside.
Dubai is similar; Singapore gets it right - cool enough but not cold.
I actually find it considerate of the FA to hand them a bag of ice. Not sure what he wanted them to do differently about that. Did he want the FA to soothe the baby with ice cubes? This guy gives me the ick
One of the things America does incredibly well is keeping temperatures at a healthy level in most environments. Airlines need to be held accountable if they do not ensure a healthy temperature. Something like 150,000 people die in Europe every year for heat-related reasons because they don't have AC.
"keeping temperatures at a healthy level" Excuse me, but coming from 90 F outside to what, 60F? is anything but healthy. It feels like entering a refridgerator everytime you enter a store or another indoor facility.
I find offices in Texas far too cold, year-round.
A thicker shirt is feasible in winter, but not in summer because then when one goes outside ...
So one keeps a jacket in the office to wear only inside.
Dubai is similar; Singapore gets it right - cool enough but not cold.
A Mainer checks into a hotel and is assigned room 314. “What floor is that on ?”
An American checks into a hotel in Europe and is assigned room 314.
He thinks it's only two flights of stairs up. :-)
I don’t understand coming down the hotel elevators in Europe . There is level 1 , 0 , and -1. I just need the lobby.
Having a certain temperature triggering the need to deplane should be just as automatic as crew hitting a certain moment that causes them to time out.
If the cabin is unacceptably uncomfortable and the door is still open, stand up and leave. I've done it when I was seated next to an overperfumed person in a full plane. I just deplaned. From this story it looks like the door was open well into the incident. You're not "trapped" if the door is still open. Go to the gate and change flights.
But yes, it shouldn't happen. The Canadian approach seems sensible. Dead APU? Fly to Toledo, not Toronto, until you fix it.
That's why this parent is a lunatic.
Rather than getting off the plane,
"At this point, I got my phone out while my wife attended to our son. I began composing a social media post saying I was boiling alive inside a United plane in Chicago."
He thinks social media Jesus exists?
This actually is a law in Canada. Tarmac delays need to provide passengers the opportunity to disembark if the cabin cannot be maintained "comfortable" or if there's no ventilation. If this was in Canada United could have fast a much steep fine for this.
https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/publication/tarmac-delay-standards-treatment-and-disembarkation-a-guide
Canada is a county that cares for its citizens. The US doesn't
From the story they had the opportunity to disembark: the door was open.
I have been on several flights with both UA and AC recently without broken APUs where temps went to 90f+ onboard.
It’s a cost saving strategy and needs to be made illegal.
Having experienced the same I am sympathetic to this family. I doubt anything will change unless one of two things happen: Federal regulations dictation some passenger time/temperature equation to limit this OR contract bargaining from FA or pilots. I’m surprised that this hasn’t been a negotiating point(at least that I’m aware of). I certainly wouldn’t want to work in an environment where temperatures and humidity can’t be controlled for unknown time duration.
The plane, with a broken APU, should of never taken off, what would happen if they got a bird strike after taken ...See my point...
Bad on United and bad on the parents. Why do they need to take a flight to vacation with a 10 month old?
You know that traveling on a domestic vacation with a 10 month old child is not an alien thing to do, it is more to do with if the parent is responsible enough to manage it and if they have controlled the temperament of the child
In fact I have travelled halfway across the world with my 2 year old and 10 months old toddler twice, they have behaved well, surprisingly did not cause much...
You know that traveling on a domestic vacation with a 10 month old child is not an alien thing to do, it is more to do with if the parent is responsible enough to manage it and if they have controlled the temperament of the child
In fact I have travelled halfway across the world with my 2 year old and 10 months old toddler twice, they have behaved well, surprisingly did not cause much issue on the long haul flights and we were in premium economy and economy both times
Toddlers*
Parents always overreact.
Snowflake parents overreact tenfold.
I feel sorry for the toddler. You have to deal with this lunatic for the rest of your life.
Agreed. What did he want from the FA when the bag of ice was dropped off? An apology in the form of a limerick?
A million dollar check and free first class travel for the rest of their lives, of course. And a handwritten apology from Kirby.
It's not that hard to communicate. Communication is key, tell them "you can de-board, there are next seats in the machine at XX:XX." Here is a bag of ice, does that help? Can we do anything else for you? As soon as the engines run, the ventilation will be much better. We apologize for the circumstances".
But I guess, your service attitude is not very present.
How is it legal to keep people in such warm environment for an extended period of time? I would expect that this is covered by existing rules already. Over here if a train does not have working AC and it's too hot outside it gets taken out of service, no exceptions. Operational performance should never be above safety.
People on Threads don’t care about facts. Just moral grandstanding. It’s why they went there in the first place.
The real issue is UA continuing to hand out 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes which is hazardous without proper ventilation, and when the APU is down….is ARPS still around?
Sorry about your dead kid.
Here are some points.
Love,
United
So very true!
But don't forget the "thoughts and prayers" that do-nothing American politicians automatically offer instead of solving the problem.
FAs are so used to doing the same thing everyday on every flight, they are working like robots and are totally lacking empathy, especially towards families traveling with toddlers
Yeah I'm with the parent on this one. Overheating can kill people easily.
Easy: aircraft with broken APUs must be taken out of service.
Airlines will fix them much more quickly if faced with that requirement.