Woman stung by a scorpion on a United Airlines flight

The passenger noticed a stinging sensation on her leg while travelling from San Francisco to Atlanta

A passenger was stung by a scorpion mid-flight on December 5. This is not the first time United Airlines has been under fire for its service. AFP

A woman flying from San Francisco to Atlanta had more than popping ears and turbulence to deal with when she started experiencing a stinging sensation on her leg mid-flight.

The passenger, who has not been named, was flying from San Francisco to Atlanta via United Airlines on Thursday, December 5, when she was stung by a scorpion.

After heading to the washroom, the creature fell out of her trousers. The passenger has since been taken to a hospital.

“After learning that one of our customers on flight 1554 from San Francisco to Atlanta was stung during flight, our crew responded immediately and consulted with a MedLink physician on the ground who provided medical guidance," the airline said in a statement.

"Upon landing in Atlanta, the flight was met by medical personnel and the customer was transported to a local hospital. We have been in contact with our customer to ensure her wellbeing."

This is not the first time the airline has been criticised for its service – or even the first time a scorpion has been discovered on one of its flights.

A similar incident occurred in 2017, when a Canadian man from travelling from Houston, Texas, to Calgary, Canada. Richard Bell said that a scorpion fell from the overhead bin onto his head. He was offered flight credits from United Airlines as compensation, which he accepted.

More famously, United Airlines got into hot water over its treatment of Dr David Dao, a passenger who was forcibly removed from a flight, when he refused to accept compensation in exchange for his seat on an overbooked flight in 2017.

His aggressive removal, which involved him being dragged through the aisles, was recorded by passengers and prompted an international backlash against the airlines.

It also spurred mocking from other airlines – including Emirates which ran a video with the tagline, “Fly the friendly skies … this time for real.”

‘Fly The Friendly Skies’ is United Airlines slogan.

It was also a dig towards United Airlines chief executive Oscar Munez who has, in the past, made comments suggesting that Gulf carriers were “not real airlines” but “international branding vehicles for their countries.”