Summary
Orthodox Jewish passenger Yisroel Liebb filed a federal lawsuit claiming a United Airlines pilot forcibly removed him from an airplane bathroom during a January 2024 flight from Tulum to Houston, exposing his genitalia to passengers.
Liebb said he was experiencing constipation and had been in the bathroom for about 30 minutes when the pilot broke the lock and dragged him out.
After landing, Customs and Border Protection officers detained Liebb and another passenger, allegedly making derogatory remarks about their religion.
United Airlines and CBP declined to comment.
Enforcing this law is likely the real function of the flight attendant.
That being said, the PIC is responsible for ensuring there is enough fuel for an alternate airport. But also, if you are below 30 min of fuel, that’s an emergency and you get priority handling.
You might have an excuse if you reached that emergency threshold. Without the ATC recording, it’s hard to determine