United Airlines Flight Canceled After Passengers Refuse To Leave Self-Upgraded Business Class Seats

A Tel-Aviv bound United Airlines flight had to turn back after two passengers refused to give up their self-upgraded business class seat and caused a "riot."

Two Israeli passengers allegedly took advantage of a half-empty United Airlines flight and grabbed business class seats in on Friday. The Boeing 787-10 flight, capable of carrying a maximum of 330 passengers, had only 123 passengers on board, Business Insider reported.

Roi Lotan, who was on the flight said that about 90 minutes into the flight, the disruptive passengers started an argument with the cabin crew and caused a "riot." A flight attendant asked the two passengers to show them the boarding tickets and confirm that they were entitled to the seats, the passengers repeatedly refused.

The argument allegedly grew heated, prompting the flight captain to turn back and return to the Newark Liberty International Airport in New York.

After returning to New York, officers boarded the flight to arrest the two unruly passengers. The other passengers had to disembark.

"Law enforcement officials met the aircraft upon landing," United Airlines said in a statement to the New York Post. "The flight was subsequently cancelled. Our team at New York/Newark have provided our customers with meal vouchers and hotel accommodation and have made arrangements for customers to complete their journeys."

No charges were issued against the disruptive passengers, a spokesperson from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said to the Insider. No one onboard the flight sustained any injuries during the altercation.

United Airlines added in a statement that the company does not tolerate "inappropriate behavior" and considers the safety of its passengers "above all," the Times of Israel reported.

The recent incident came to light a day after a London-bound American Airlines flight was forced to return to Miami after a passenger refused to adhere to COVID-19 rules and wear a mask. Responding officers did not arrest the passenger but she was put on a no-fly list pending investigation.

Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration recorded 5,981 unruly passenger behavior, of which 4,290 were mask-related.