United Airlines flight diverted to free passenger stuck in bathroom

Hope Schreiber
·Writer
Updated

A United Airlines flight to San Francisco was diverted on Wednesday night to Denver, Colo., in order to free a passenger who was stuck in the bathroom.

After leaving from Washington, D.C., a female passenger on Flight 1554 became trapped inside the Boeing 737-800’s lavatory and no one on board was able to open the door. As a result, the flight was diverted to Denver, the Denver International Airport confirmed to Yahoo Lifestyle, where the local fire department and a mechanic were able to rescue the trapped woman.

“The aircraft landed safely and Denver Fire responded to get the door open at approximately 7:08 p.m,” a public information officer from the Denver International Airport tells Yahoo.

“The pilot announced, ‘In case you guys haven’t heard the rumor, we are going to be landing in Denver because someone locked themselves in the bathroom’,” Jennifer Gettman, a passenger on the flight, told CBS SF. “'And of course we’re not going to make her stay in the bathroom until San Francisco.'"

A video of the ordeal was posted on Twitter. In the video, a group of people in orange vests are seen trying to pry open the door.

“Ma’am we’re just working on opening up the door at the moment ma’am. We’ll get you out soon, OK,” one man says in the video.

“Flight 1554 from Washington D.C. to San Francisco diverted to Denver to assist a customer who was in the lavatory when the lavatory door became inoperative. The passenger was safely removed from the lavatory after landing, and customers continued on to their destination on a new aircraft,” United Airlines said in a statement provided to Yahoo Lifestyle. “We are reaching out to all customers onboard and the customer in the lavatory to apologize.”

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