A doctor and mother, Farah Naz Khan, took a United flight out of Wyoming late in the week that was operated by United’s regional express carrier Mesa.
She was flying first class, and went to the back bathroom to change her baby’s diaper. She used a “scented diaper disposal bag” and placed it into the lavatory trash.
When she returned to her seat, the first class flight attendant “berated [her] for throwing away a poop diaper on the plane” calling it a “biohazard.” He forced her to retrieve the poop-filled diaper. Then, she says, he started harassing her after the flight.
So there I am, fishing her poop diaper out of the back bathroom. I asked the other flight attendant in the back if he could give me an extra garbage bag to put this in so I could keep it with me to throw away after the flight. This flight attendant told me that throwing the diaper away in the bathroom is what we’re supposed to do, so when I confronted the initial flight attendant about this, he yelled at me again and said he didn’t want to deal with me.
Now, a poop-filled diaper may smell, even if inside a scented bag. But that’s what airline coffee grounds are for.
American Airlines Lavatory
This would have been a bad enough experience for the passenger, but the doctor relays it gets worse.
Fast forward 3 hours, and he’s calling me on my cell from a United Airlines 1-800 number and saying I’ve been placed on the no fly list because of a biohazard incident. And he cursed out me and my family. And said “YOU people bring your families everywhere. You should stop flying and just drive. I can hear your obnoxious baby in the background right now..”
For any of my friends considering flying @united, watch out, their flight attendants will curse about your children to you on the phone by finding your number after you’ve left the flight. He said “YOU people always bring your children everywhere.” Wth does that mean? #racist
— Farah Naz Khan (@farah287) July 9, 2021
I’m not quite sure how a Mesa flight attendant would call out from a “United Airlines 800 number” even if he were to access her reservation to retrieve her phone number.
We have reached out to our customer and our regional partner Mesa Airlines, who operated this flight, to get a better understanding of what occurred.
Geesh. Sounds like the UA flight attendant was formerly with AA. Just sayin’…
@Rude Bandit, I have always thought that UA Flight attendants were trained by AA FAs.
Childless me asks, what in the world was she supposed to do with the poopie diaper?
This is very suspect.. A flight attendant isn’t going to be able to call anyone from a United Airlines 800 number… Especially a regional carrier flight attendant… Come on…
I wonder what Privacy laws United ended up violating when the FA called up the passenger on her cell phone. Absolutely disgusting that United continues to receive taxpayer money to splurge on new aircraft.
I will do almost anything to avoid flying on these regional feeder airlines. I’ve probably had 2 positive experiences in a dozen flights ORD-LEX. Those sullen flight attendants are impossible. They must recruit them from a high school program for obnoxious students. Every time I hear the word ‘racist’ in a travel story, I wonder if it’s being exaggerated … but this was a clear case of an idiot racist FA. How very sad that he will probably receive some kind of reprimand … can’t infringe n his rights, you know.
Something smells about this story..
If this is true the FA should be fired.
This sounds fabricated or exaggerated to me. When someone identifies the race and gender of the person they’re complaining about in the first five words of their online post, it’s hard to take them seriously.
If this indeed happened the way Dr. Khan has described, it is despicable and both United and Mesa should take appropriate action against the offending FA and fairly compensate Dr. Khan. It is certainly possible that this FA went rogue and used one of the all-too-many spoofing apps to make it appear that the call was originating from United Airlines, which is how his call to Dr. Khan appeared to be from United. If Dr. Khan intends to file (or is even thinking about filing) any type of action against UA and/or Mesa, she should have an attorney send an anti-spoliation letter ASAP. They keep their phone recordings and other records for a limited amount of time; putting them on notice of potential litigation, with a properly annotated letter and enough specifics to particularize the anti-spoliation request, can be a very helpful tool in litigation – whether for evidence gathering purpose, or in the event of destruction of evidence after an anti-spoliation request has been sent, for evidentiary or terminating sanctions.
I always throw out diapers in the bathroom trash – without a scented diaper bag, though usually wrapped up inside a changing pad – and have never thought twice (or heard a peep from the Delta FAs).
Guy sounds like an uncommon asshole at a minimum and racist stalker at worst.
I’m wondering why, if she flew first class, did she go to the back bathroom to change the diaper? When I fly economy I can’t use the first class bathroom. Having said that, this is completely ridiculous. Of course the diapers go into the trash. Passengers would love it if she stored it under the seat until she landed! And the follow up call? Suspect.
Just noting that a phone’s Caller ID can be spoofed easily, at least if it’s like my Pixel on AT&T. It’s just a setting. So FA may well have set the general airline number as caller ID for that call – don’t think the detail determines credibility here one way or the other. Phone records would.
This person’s credentials are generally good. Often those with drama are not.
Born in the US, she went to a decent college and medical school. She may or may not have had trouble getting into plastic surgery so spent a year in research before residency. However, she probably lacks the airline knowledge of a road warrior.
It’s interesting how people tend to judge an entire enterprise or group based on a single negative incident.
ERROR: Oh my, the Dallas plastic surgeon of the same name is going to get her reputation smeared. It is NOT that person. It’s a Seattle internist of decent but less stellar credentials. Her bio has a hint of being combative, but it’s not completely proof of that. This may be a case of two aggressive people clashing.
Maybe just fish the poop bag and dump it in the toilet, stucking it?
@ T@ Lydia
So you find it offence for a Muslim / Indian to complain?
Both of these groups are CEO’S of most of the leading USA companies?
Pity both of you guys are so filled with so much hatred towards these groups
Other race / religion groups are virgins in your eyes .
@Darci – She went to the back bathroom to throw it away because she knew it was still going to stink in that confined area. She figured they shouldn’t have to out up with that in first class. Better to be in the coach area,
Some people here have obviously never had to change a baby on a plane. Generally speaking, only the lavatories located at the rear of the aircraft have a changing table for babies.
@SF
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! I was waiting for someone to mention that. Also, Mesa mainly operates small regional jets. Even the aircraft that actually have a small First Class in a 1×2 configuration ONLY HAVE ONE LAVATORY at the back of the plane.
How would the flight attend get that person’s cell phone number and how would they be able to call her from a United 800-number. This story is not believable and sounds fabricated.
Did the United Airlines first-class flight attendant use all the ground coffee packs for diaper stench control resulting in no freshly brewed coffee for the remainder of the flight?
Please ban Lydiia and T. from this site. Ugly racist speech should not be allowed.
Gary, we all know shit happens, but is there really any need for you to dredge through it with such regularity?
If this is true, she should have refused to retrieve it. Flight attendants have authority over flight safety. They don’t have free reign to do as they please. The public needs to start taking action against flight attendants who overstep their positions. Republicans should start using their majorities in 25 states to put out arrest warrants for flight attendants who abuse their authority if the flights originated or arrived in those states. The feds are on the side of expanding government power to include flight attendants being detectives instead of drink and meal servers.
I don’t know if her story is accurate. She singled out a white flight attendant. If a white person singled out a black or Indian flight attendant, the white person would be accused of many different things by people intolerant of whites. I am very upset about the double standard. All race issues would go away if we were completely separated into our own countries/own states/own neighborhoods/own businesses/own airlines. Then no one could accuse the other of racial animosity (some animosity depending on the group is justified given that 13% of the population commits 53% of the violent crime and 90% of the problems. Regarding this woman, 25% of the people in her genetic country defecate in the street).
Indian doctors usually are ok. I’ve enjoyed discussing medicine with a number of Indian doctors. They seem to enjoy the knowledge of medicine other groups don’t. There are exceptions and in this climate of anti white animosity this might be one, or this might be a typical overreaction of a flight attendant.
Oh, Lydia! Do the world and the future a favor by try checking your bigotry in the plane lavatory trash. Your bigotry stinks in more awful ways than even a baby’s soiled diaper in a scented diaper trash bag.
America’s only chance to stay ahead in the world is by our melting pot being attractive for immigrants — including ethnic/religious minorities — and their progeny who add to our human capital (and tax base) way more than insecure clowns with an axe to grind against members of ethnic and religious minorities.
There are lots of Muslim American doctors. You will have to learn to live with it and with them flying in first class — including with their children. Your life or that of your loved ones — if you truly have any — has probably already counted on it or will one day soon.
This story is such a LIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@GUWonder
America can’t get ahead if its demographics are made worse every year. Whites are responsible for nearly every technological innovation and comfort in history. We’ve seen what one group has done to impede and hold us back for 200 years despite being 13% of the population. More substandard groups will only make America worse. Kenya, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, China, and Japan need more diversity and to be melting pots. Why not encourage them to go there?
What a shitty situation.
Sucks even more when these stories involve contracted feeder express flights using the United name. It’s not really United- it’s Mesa Airlines on behalf of United and United gets the blame.
Quick fact I’m these express flights:
They have their own uniforms and do their own training. This article should indicate MESA AIRLINES on behalf of United Express… Let’s call a spade a spade
@.Jackson Waterson
Hey Jack. When are you going to get the hell out and move to the country of your white European ancestors. You will be a lot happier there. Clearly you live in a fantasy land. Republicans in 25 states
issueing arrest warrants for FA’s. You’re just another white fool who should be banned from flying.
I’ll stick up for a FA before I would help out a racist pig idiot such as yourself. Jack, you’re one sick MF.
@Jackson Waterson
I have to admit I missed a good portion of what led to your last comment. But with that said – my gawd, man! You are truly a degenerate racist if I ever heard one before. Yikes. You sound like an antagonist in a movie about Neo-Nazi/White Supremacy…but you are real. A real piece of garbage but real nonetheless. Gross…
No way a Mesa flight attendant can stage a call from United’s reservation number. This story is BS.
This story is a lie! Full of lies! Doesn’t make sense! When you change your baby’s diaper, I don’t care where, you throw it in the garbage. It is not placed in a different biohazard bin. Does Starbucks or mall bathrooms have a biohazard bin? No. Why would it be different on a plane? She made this stupid story up.
Fake story!!! Suckers for believing it.