Woman Boards United Flight In Newark. 9 Hours Later, She Still Hasn’t Left For Los Angeles: ‘Genuinely Makes Me Crash Out’

Travel delays suck, but they’re out of your control. The best you can hope for is that the delay doesn’t last all that long. Thirty minutes, an hour, or even two feels passable, especially if you’re still OK to make your connection or arrive at where you’re going just a bit behind schedule.

But what might push someone to the brink of their patience is a delay that keeps you stuck at the airport for more than the equivalent of a workday, just to then never take off. Add issues with checked baggage on top of that, and it easily falls into the category of top five worst travel days.

Here’s how things unfolded for one passenger flying out of a New Jersey airport.

The Plane Never Even Left

In a trending video with more than 46,000 views, content creator Brielle shared how she spent nine hours at the Newark Liberty International Airport without getting any closer to her destination.

“Nine hours at the Newark Airport only to go nowhere, and I’m back in the room that I started my day in,” she says.

Brielle explains that her United flight was scheduled to depart at 4pm, so she arrived around 2:30pm. Around that time, a storm started moving through the area, but the flight still seemed to be on time. Boarding happened normally, and everyone was eventually seated and waiting for takeoff.

But outside, the weather worsened into heavy rain, thunder, and lightning. Passengers were told that lightning had been detected within five miles, so they couldn’t take off yet.

At first Brielle was patient, understanding that the airline had no control over the weather, and settled in for what she assumed would be a 30-minute wait. Then another 30 minutes went by.

They Finally Get To Deplane

The crew eventually told passengers they would be more comfortable waiting in the terminal and asked them to deplane. As Brielle walked toward the front of the aircraft, she says she noticed water streaming down from above and collecting near the area where flight attendants stored their service carts.

“I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s weird. Hopefully, that’s not a problem,’” she recalls.

Once passengers were back inside the airport, they were told the plane had a maintenance issue that would take another 20 to 30 minutes. Similar updates continued while the departure time moved to 6:45pm. That’s now nearly three hours after the plane was initially supposed to take off.

And of course, in that period of time you get hungry, and airlines often don’t provide a meal voucher, and if they do it’s usually for a paltry amount.

“More money, more money, more money, more money. Money,” she says about having to buy marked-up airport food.

By 6pm, a gate announcement said it could take another hour just to determine whether passengers would board again. That’s when it was time to start looking for another way out.

Second Plane, Second Deplaning

Brielle called her friend Emmalia, who had originally booked the trip and regularly helped manage her flights. Emmalia found another United departure that had been scheduled for 5:30pm. but delayed until 6:45pm.

Brielle raced to the new gate and arrived around 6:15pm. Boarding had not started, so it looked like things might finally work out. But they didn’t board until 8pm.

This time, Brielle was assigned a middle seat between two larger passengers. She says she felt claustrophobic but expected the plane to leave around 8:15pm.

It did not.

Passengers were initially told that traffic on the tarmac was causing the delay. The minutes continued passing—8:30, 8:45, 9pm, and then 9:30pm—while the aircraft remained on the ground.

The explanation then shifted to routing. According to Brielle, the crew said it was searching for a path around the severe weather. By 10pm, passengers were told that none of the three possible routes would work. The remaining route required more fuel than the plane had available after sitting on the tarmac for so long.

Guess what? Everyone had to deplane again.

Now About Her Checked Bag

By then, Brielle had another problem. United had required her to check the carry-on bag she brought to the first flight (and she had to pay for it). That flight was ultimately canceled hours after its scheduled departure, but her bag remained tied to the original itinerary.

At baggage claim, there was a long line of frustrated travelers asking for their luggage. Brielle says passengers were told that their bags would continue to their final destinations, even as some explained that they were no longer making those trips.

United’s remaining Los Angeles flights for the following day appeared to be on standby or unavailable until the evening. That’s when Emmalia stepped in again, booking Brielle a 7:30 a.m. first-class ticket on a different airline.

“I want to kiss her,” Brielle joked.

“This was the worst travel day of my entire life,” she says. “Now I understand why people say they don’t like traveling.”

What Are Passengers Owed After A Flight Delay Or Cancellation?

In the U.S., a long wait does not automatically entitle a passenger to cash compensation. According to NerdWallet, travelers can reject an airline’s alternative transportation and receive an automatic refund when a flight is canceled or significantly changed. For domestic trips, a departure or arrival shifted by more than three hours counts as a significant change; for international trips, the threshold is more than six hours. A change of airport, an added connection, or a cabin downgrade can also qualify.

The refund must include the ticket price and fees for services the traveler did not receive, such as Wi-Fi or a paid seat selection. If a checked bag is significantly delayed and the passenger files a mishandled-baggage report, the airline must also refund the bag fee. NerdWallet says refunds are due within seven business days for credit card purchases or 20 calendar days for other payment methods.

What Happens To Checked Bags After A Missed Or Canceled Flight?

The Points Guy reports that a bag may be transferred to a traveler’s replacement flight, continue to the destination on the original flight or be returned to baggage claim after a cancellation. The outcome depends on the airline, itinerary, and reason the traveler did not board.

International travel is generally stricter. Under a security practice called Positive Passenger Bag Match, airlines typically must remove a checked bag when its passenger is not aboard an international flight, though exceptions can apply to bags delayed by a missed connection.

United told The Points Guy that when a customer is rebooked or rerouted, it tries to update the bag tag so the luggage travels with the passenger. Other carriers described different practices: Some allow a bag to continue to its tagged domestic destination, while others return bags from canceled flights to the departure airport’s claim area.

If you’re in a sticky situation with your checked bag, use the airline’s app using the bag tag or confirmation number and speak with the baggage service office near baggage claim. If the luggage does not arrive, file a delayed-baggage claim right away and keep the report number.

Commenters React To The Terrible Travel Day

“Omfg i would make this everyone’s problem,” a top comment read.

“How are you still standing,” a person said.

“Dude this sucks. Thank god you weren’t bringing your cat with you this time!! I know you fly him every once in a while, so silver lining I guess,” another wrote.

“The way i’m having the same problem going from lax to newark with united like im going to lose my mind,” a commenter added.

BroBible reached out to Brielle via email and Instagram direct message and to United Airlines via email for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if either responds.