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Woman says she was forced to pee in cup on United flight

Posted at 6:16 PM, May 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-10 10:33:55-04

A Kansas City woman says she was forced to urinate in a cup on a United Airlines flight and now she wants to know why the flight attendant didn't just let her go to the restroom.

Nicole Harper said she tried to use the restroom on United flight 6056 on April 10th. She said a flight attendant ordered her back to her seat. The seatbelt sign was still illuminated.

"I said 'I'm going to need to use the restroom or I'm going to need a cup.' They handed me the cup which was about this big and I was like 'I'm going to need a second cup.'" said Harper.

Harper, a nurse and mother of two, was headed from Houston back to Kansas City.

She said she's lived with an overactive bladder her entire life. She says she alerted the flight attendant of her condition.

"I don't know if they just didn't understand that I don't have any control over the situation," said Harper.

Harper has filed a complaint with United Airlines and the Department of Transportation.

Ironically, she says her incident happened the same day a United Airlines passenger was knocked unconscious on a flight.

"I've been talking to them throughout this process. And they haven't given me any sort of explanation or answers. They need to focus a little bit more on their paying customer and the customer service," said Harper.

United Airlines released this statement about Harper's case:

Customer safety is always our first priority. Initial reports from the Mesa Airlines flight attendants indicate that Ms. Harper attempted to visit the lavatory on final descent and was instructed to remain seated with the seat belt fastened per FAA regulations. The situation as described by Ms. Harper and our employees is upsetting for all involved. We have reached out to Ms. Harper and our flying partner Mesa Airlines to better understand what occurred. 

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