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?
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?
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