Traveler claims United flight attendant refused to serve him because he is gay

A California man claims he was publicly humiliated by an allegedly homophobic United Airlines crew member who refused him food or drink because he was gay.

In a lawsuit obtained by The IndependentJames Snyder says the incident, which happened aboard a flight from JFK to LAX, was “an experience (that) I never expected from United Airlines.”

“The discrimination plaintiff suffered was horrific,” Snyder’s complaint alleges, saying that when he was first passed by the food service, then by the beverage cart, “he believed he was … because of their sexual orientation”.

Snyder, in the complaint, describes himself as “an openly homosexual man.”

United enthusiastically touts its corporate LGBTQ initiatives, devoting an entire page of its website to “Flying with pride.” It says United was the first airline to offer non-binary booking options, the first to offer benefits to same-sex domestic couples and earned a “100 percent score” on the Corporate Equality Index of the human rights campaign. Each year, United operates a “Flight of the Pride,” comprised of LGBTQ pilots and cabin crew.

In a response filed in response to Snyder’s complaint, United said it “generally denies each and every allegation.” He has asked the judge in the case to dismiss Snyder’s claims and order him to reimburse the airline for costs incurred, including “reasonable” attorneys’ fees.

Richard Lazenby, who represents the carrier in Snyder’s lawsuit, did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. A United spokesman said in an email that the airline had “nothing to share.”

On May 1, 2022, Snyder was headed home to Los Angeles from New York City aboard UA Flight 515, according to his complaint, which was unsealed last week in LA County Court and presented to LA federal. The airline’s Covid-19 protocols had initially halted the boarding process, followed by a two-hour maintenance delay, and Snyder was hungry, according to the complaint.

When flight attendants began serving lunch, Snyder’s complaint says there was a problem United’s payment appwhich is the only way to buy meals, snacks and drinks during the flight. Snyder was unable to upload her credit card details, but when the woman sitting next to her had the same problem, the flight attendant told her that the glitch was affecting everyone and that she would serve her anyway, according to the complaint.

After his seatmate ordered a sandwich, Snyder asked the flight attendant if the app might be down because “the WiFi was too full,” and got a snide response from her, the complaint continues. He says Snyder tried to order food and informed the flight attendant he wanted a hamburger, but that he, too, had tried several times to get the app to work and eventually crashed, the complaint continues.

“The flight attendant looked directly at (Snyder) and said, ‘I don’t think you tried hard enough,’ then walked away, according to the complaint.

When the flight attendant returned, she served Snyder’s seatmate and other passengers nearby, but not Snyder, according to the complaint. It says Snyder “politely asked the flight attendant about his food order,” to which she said “since he had a long time to figure out the app like everyone else, I couldn’t serve him.”

“If there’s any leftovers after serving everyone, I’ll let you eat,” the flight attendant informed Snyder, according to the complaint.

As the beverage cart rolled up, the situation became “even more annoying,” Snyder’s complaint alleges. The flight attendant took drink orders from everyone in Snyder’s row, but Snyder jumped, according to the complaint. The woman sitting next to Snyder spoke up and asked the flight attendant why he was ignoring Snyder, the complaint says. However, he claims, the flight attendant “removed them and motioned (to) another flight attendant (to) serve (Snyder), who was feeling hurt and confused.”

Snyder’s seatmate told him, “I don’t think he likes you,” and suggested his “unprofessional” and “rude” behavior was the result of bigotry, according to the complaint. She urged Snyder to say something, but he didn’t want to make a scene, the complaint states. Even so, he maintains, he felt “discriminated against, shamed, despised, despised and denied the same treatment as everyone else.”

The flight attendant later returned to Snyder’s seat and asked for his phone, according to the complaint. Snyder “reluctantly” complied with the flight attendant’s request, as federal law requires, according to the complaint notes, and felt a surge of “embarrassment, stress and confusion” as he walked away with her device, which he had unlocked for her. When the flight attendant allegedly began scrolling through Snyder’s personal files, his seatmate again spoke for him, demanding that the flight attendant return Snyder’s phone, according to the complaint.

When the flight finally landed in LA, the woman sitting next to Snyder told him to “stand up for himself” and file a formal complaint with United, according to the complaint. The two stayed in touch, and when Snyder continued to procrastinate, his seatmate said he had moved on and filed a complaint on his behalf. (The status of this complaint is unclear.)

“As a member of the gay community, Plaintiff is familiar with discrimination (and) this unfortunate behavior had a negative effect on his self-esteem,” the complaint concludes.

Among other things, Snyder is suing for negligence, breach of good faith and fair dealing, and breach of contract, specifically, the agreement between Snyder and United was that the airline would “provide food, beverages and other services in flight.”

He is seeking damages in an amount to be determined by a jury, but not less than $100,000.

An initial court date has not yet been set.