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What began as a routine United Airlines flight from Des Moines International Airport (DSM) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) turned into an unexpected four-hour delay on Monday after two flight attendants got into an argument on board just before departure. The confrontation forced United to deplane passengers, remove the original cabin crew, and bring in replacements before the flight could finally take off.
The incident occurred on October 27th, as United Airlines flight UA2138 (operated with an Airbus A320) prepared for its scheduled 11:26 AM departure. The 299-mile flight to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), which typically lasts a little over an hour, did not leave until 3:24 PM (eventually landing in Chicago at 5:09 PM). The total delay stretched to more than four hours.
According to reports, the two flight attendants began arguing during the boarding process and the disagreement quickly escalated into a heated exchange in front of passengers. The situation became so tense that members of United’s airport management team intervened and made the decision to remove the entire flight crew from duty.
Passengers were asked to deplane while United arranged for a replacement set of flight attendants to operate the flight. Though the airline typically provides explanations for delays on its public flight status page, no reason was listed for Flight UA2138, leaving travelers initially unaware of the cause of the extended delay.
Replacing a full flight crew can be a complex logistical process, especially at a smaller airport like Des Moines International Airport (DSM), where extra crew members are not always immediately available. United’s operations team had to locate reserve personnel and reposition them before the flight could resume. Once the new crew arrived, the aircraft underwent a standard security check and boarding was restarted. The flight eventually departed safely for Chicago, but by that time many passengers had missed connecting flights or faced other significant travel disruptions.
While airlines occasionally face crew-related issues, it is rare for a disagreement between flight attendants to cause such a lengthy operational delay. United has not publicly commented on the incident and it remains unclear whether disciplinary action will follow. United’s internal policies emphasize professional conduct and teamwork among crew members, as in-flight cooperation is essential to both safety and service delivery. Disruptions of this nature can also create additional costs for the airline, including reassigning aircraft, compensating delayed passengers, and managing scheduling knock-on effects across its network.
Anthony’s Take: United is continuing to investigate this incident. I’ve seen flight attendants disagree, but never enough to cancel a flight.
(Image Credits: United Airlines.)
(H/T: Paddle Your Own Kanoo.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
