United Airlines Says Woman Removed Over Excess Carry-On Items, Not For 'Misgendering' Attendant

united airlines says woman jenna longoria removed over excess carry-on items, not for 'misgendering' attendant

A recent incident that involved United Airlines, a Texas woman alleged that she was removed from a flight for misgendering a flight attendant. But the airline offered a different explanation, blaming the removal on too many carry-on bags.

As she and her 16-month-old son traveled from San Francisco to Austin, Jenna Longoria shared a number of videos on her Instagram Stories. Later, these videos were uploaded to the Live and Let's Fly YouTube account; however, they have now expired. Longoria stated that her remarks on the pronouns used by a flight attendant led to her and her family not being allowed to board the aircraft.

In her initial video, Longoria stated, “The flight attendant has denied access to us because he said that I made a derogatory comment about one of the flight attendants, because I didn’t use their right pronoun. Now they are forbidding us to get on the plane.” She explained that she had been carrying her son, who weighs 25 lbs., for about 30 minutes when the incident occurred. She added, “They denied us boarding priority. And now they’re about to deny us to board the plane.”

In a subsequent video, Longoria questioned an airline employee, who indicated that the decision to remove her was made by the captain. The employee stated, “When the captain denies you, it’s the end of the story.”

On Thursday, June 27, PEOPLE got a statement from United Airlines after reaching out to the airline for comment. According to United, "The incident occurred because the passengers had an excessive number of carry-on luggage. A party of three departing from San Francisco today was denied boarding after it was discussed that they were carrying too many carry-on items," according to the statement. "After the issue was settled, the passengers continued their journey by boarding a later United aircraft," the statement continued.

Under United Airlines' standard baggage policy, each passenger is permitted to bring one carry-on and one personal item inside the cabin, provided that the items fit the airline's size requirements. It was maintained a mystery how many carry-ons Longoria's group brought.

Longoria said in a different video that she was sent off for using the wrong pronouns for a flight attendant. She clarified, saying, "I was carrying my son. He was acting out of character. The automobile seat was resting on my back. All I really had on my mind was getting my son's car seat on the plane and making sure he was secure and comfy.

Longoria said that her mother's and her own prescription drugs were among the belongings her family's luggage that the airline had brought on the journey. According to United's website, travelers can check one car seat per child at the gate or at a ticket counter for free. Children who have their own seat on board may also utilize car seats, but they must adhere to the FAA's size guidelines. There is nowhere else in the cabin to store a car seat, and it will not fit in an overhead bin.

According to a story from the previous year, United Airlines has started letting its staff members wear name tags with their pronouns on their uniforms. Whether or whether the flight attendants on Longoria's trip were doing this is unknown.