Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Alleges Targeting

United Airlines Apologizes to Passenger Accusing Congresswoman of Stealing First-Class Seat

Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Alleges Targeting

United Airlines Issues Apology and Travel Voucher

United Airlines has issued an apology and granted a 500 travel voucher to a passenger who accused the airline of allowing a member of Congress to occupy her first-class seat. The passenger, Dr. Teresa Palmer, claimed that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) took her assigned seat on a flight from Washington, D.C., to Houston on Tuesday.

In a statement, United Airlines confirmed the incident and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to Palmer. The airline said it had reviewed the matter and determined that Lee had been mistakenly upgraded to first-class while Palmer was given a seat in economy. United Airlines apologized to Palmer for the error and said it was taking steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Lee, a longtime Democratic congresswoman from Texas, denied taking Palmer's seat intentionally. She said that she was unaware of the situation until after the flight had taken off and that she would have been happy to give up her seat if Palmer had asked.

The incident has raised questions about the treatment of passengers with disabilities on airlines. Palmer, who uses a wheelchair, said that she was not given any special assistance when she boarded the plane. She also said that the airline staff was not responsive to her concerns about her seat.

United Airlines has been criticized in the past for its treatment of passengers with disabilities. In 2017, the airline was forced to pay $4.5 million to a family after a passenger with cerebral palsy was denied boarding because he was unable to sit upright.