A New Jersey woman is seeking answers after United left her and others on the tarmac for seven hours.
In a post with over 411,000 views, TikTok user Ruby (@ruby_dubie_doo) explains how the flight ended up in this peculiar predicament.
According to Ruby, the flight was told that there were storms to their west. As a result, the flight would be delayed. There was, in fact, a delay—one that stretched for several hours without significant updates.
“It’s been 5.5 hours since we boarded this plane … We have not taken off … A revolt is coming,” she writes.
“After 2-3 hours they said that legally we need to deplane,” she writes. “We haven’t.”
What Happened Next?
Even though Ruby says the group was legally required to deplane, she claims they were told they could not due to medical issues on other flights causing airport gates to be occupied.
All of this led to desperation from Ruby and other passengers.
“Like who do I need to fight to get off this plane?” she asks. “We are in New Jersey, where I’m from. This makes sense.”
Not helping matters were the intermittent announcements from flight attendants.
“At the 5 hour mark they tell us that they know we need to charge our phones, but unfortunately this aircraft doesn’t have outlets…EXCEPT for at the seats in first class,” she writes. “Do they WANT us to fight so we can all get off the plane?”
The bathroom situation also became dire. Ruby states that the group was informed the plane was low on water; as such, she says they could only use hand sanitizer in the bathrooms.
They Finally Deplane
Eventually, Ruby says that passengers were able to deplane. The whole ordeal took seven hours. The plane never left the airport.
Naturally, the story didn’t end here. Ruby explains in a follow-up post that her flight was canceled. Her bag, however, did not move from the flight for more than three hours following the flight’s cancellation, with Ruby noting that she was tracking its location in real time with an AirTag.
When she attempted to inquire about the issue, she was met with a long line. Finally, 10 hours after her flight’s originally scheduled departure, Ruby says she made it to the front of the line and spoke with an airport worker.
“They said my bag would be many many hours before it comes out,” she writes. “Debating if it’s worth it or if I should just cut my losses and give up on it forever.”
At 2am, she says she decided to leave the airport via an Uber—without her bag. It was only when she left the airport that she saw her bag’s AirTag was moving. The next day, Ruby says she was able to pick up her bag.
Did This Really Happen?
Yes—and Ruby isn’t the only one with questions about it.
According to NBC New York, United claimed that the delay was solely due to extreme weather conditions. Passengers on the flight claim they were offered few alternatives and had to spend significant amounts of money to arrange alternate travel. United, they say, only offered them a $15 meal voucher.
In an email to BroBible, a United spokesperson did not answer any questions about why passengers were not allowed to deplane, their policy for providing food in these situations, and other issues. Instead, they simply provided a statement:
“United flight 661 returned to the gate at Newark Liberty International Airport following a weather-related ground stop due to thunderstorms,” the statement reads. “The aircraft remained on the tarmac longer than anticipated while awaiting clearance to return to an available gate. Throughout the delay, our team worked to support customers onboard and assist with rebooking once the flight was canceled.”
This description does not match many customers’ experiences. Users on Reddit who claimed to be on the flight said that the airline was aware of severe weather conditions before boarding the flight, having already delayed the departure for this reason. One user alleged that there were meals on board the flight for purchase but that they were not served the food due to airline policy.
As for why no alternatives were given, such as deplaning and transporting passengers via taxi or bus, passengers were not offered an explanation. The United spokesperson did not answer several questions on this topic. Passengers say that when the flight eventually did deplane, there was only a single worker available to assist with any issues.
Are They Entitled To Any Compensation?
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is likely “no.”
There’s a chance the airline can be fined for leaving passengers on the tarmac. Those fines, however, do not go directly to the passengers.
As the flight was canceled, all passengers are entitled to a refund for their flight. But as the cancellation and related problems were allegedly due to weather, the passengers are likely not entitled to anything else.
Most airlines only offer options for controllable delays. Weather does not fall under this definition.
Ruby and other passengers can pursue additional answers or compensation or file a complaint with the Department of Transportation. Whether anything will come of it is uncertain.
BroBible reached out to United via email and Ruby via email and Instagram direct message.