A family returning from Montreal to the San Francisco Bay Area reported a distressing encounter with a United Airlines employee at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) during a ticketing dispute.
The incident occurred on July 14, when Julio Varela, from San Ramon, and his family attempted to resolve an error on his daughter's ticket, which incorrectly listed her last name as her middle name due to a booking mistake by his wife.
Varela stated that they had been advised by a different United representative to arrive early to fix the issue. After waiting nearly three hours, another employee from a United partner airline was close to resolving the problem when a United worker intervened. Varela described the employee as dismissive, stating, "I don’t care if you guys fly out today or not," which escalated tensions.
In an attempt to report the employee, Varela asked for her name, but she refused to identify herself. Instead, she threatened to call ICE, saying, "Maybe we should call ICE on you." Varela expressed disbelief at the threat, emphasizing that he is a citizen and criticizing the political climate surrounding immigration enforcement.
The confrontation reportedly became physical, with Varela alleging that the employee hit his hand and phone, which he claimed constituted an assault. A video of the incident has gone viral, capturing the tense exchange.
