United Airlines flight attendant accused of erratic behavior was drunk on the job, police say

Airline apologizes, issues refunds

HOUSTON – United Airlines apologized and compensated passengers after a flight attendant seemed to be acting erratically during a flight.

Authorities said the flight attendant accused of disrupting a flight from Denver to North Dakota was drunk. Police confirmed the woman was drunk and forwarded the investigation to the FBI.

A passenger on Thursday's flight to Williston tweeted photos of the attendant she said might have been drunk on the job.

Erika Gorman said the woman, at one point got, extremely close to another passenger. According to Gorman, during the boarding announcements, the flight attendant used profanity and said, “If your seat belt isn’t tight, you f***** up.”

One of Gorman's tweets said, "Thanks United, for a terrifying flight! Drunk or stoned stewardess endangered everybody’s lives. I had to go to the cockpit and call the pilot and tell him they had an out of control attendant. The cops and an ambulance were waiting for her when we landed."

The attendant was not arrested upon landing.

United released the following statement:

"We are aware of a concerning incident involving a flight attendant serving on our regional service provider Trans States Airlines flight 4689. As a gesture of goodwill, we have compensated all customers aboard the flight and we apologize for any inconvenience or distress this may have caused. The safety of our customers and crew aboard all united and trans states flights is a top priority."

Trans States Airlines also released a statement:

"Trans States Airlines is aware of reports of erratic behavior by a flight attendant on flight #4689 from Denver to Williston. The situation is under investigation and the flight attendant is being held out of service. The safety of our passengers and crew is ours and United’s top priority."

KPRC2 reporter Jake Reiner reached out to Williston police on Friday who said he would have to call back later in the day.

Trans States Airlines, a regional service provider for United Airlines, said reports of erratic behavior are being investigated and the flight attendant is being held off the job.

United Airlines said it is refunding airfare for passengers “as a gesture of goodwill.”