A shocking incident captured on video shows a United Airlines passenger hurling racist remarks at a wedding photographer and his Indian-American family after their flight landed in Los Angeles. The confrontation, which unfolded on a transfer bus on November 24, has sparked widespread outrage online.
United Airlines: Harassment allegations on the flight
Boston-based wedding photographer Pervez Taufiq, who was traveling from Cancun to Los Angeles with his wife and three sons, claims the trouble began onboard the flight. According to Taufiq, the woman seated near his 11-year-old son became irritated when he briefly checked on his son during boarding. “I was like, ‘oh, yeah, sorry,’ and then I moved to the side and she got to her seat and that was it,” Taufiq told the New York Post. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the woman allegedly questioned his son’s ethnicity during the flight, asking if he was Indian.
Racist remarks on the transfer bus
The situation escalated after landing when the passengers boarded a transfer bus to the terminal. The woman reportedly snapped at Taufiq’s children and demanded they quiet down. The confrontation, which Taufiq recorded, quickly turned into a tirade of racist insults.
In the footage, the woman can be heard yelling, “Your family is from India, you have no respect, you have no rules, you think you can push everyone, push, push, push.” She also said, “You guys are f—king crazy.” Taufiq responded sarcastically, saying, “You want me to have more curry, right?” The woman fired back, threatening to record his “f—king tandoori a**.”
Confrontation and removal
When Taufiq called the woman “rude and racist,” she accused him of being racist toward her. At one point, she suggested he wasn’t American, prompting Taufiq to clarify, “I was born in the United States.” United Airlines employees eventually intervened after other passengers corroborated Taufiq’s account, leading to the woman’s removal from the bus. Taufiq alleged she appeared intoxicated during the altercation.
Taufiq speaks out
Reflecting on the incident, Taufiq expressed disbelief over the woman’s behavior. In an Instagram post, he thanked United Airlines staff and fellow passengers who supported his family. “Blown away these types of people still exist. As photographers, we’ve seen a lot, but this is one we could have done without,” he wrote. The video, widely shared on social media, has reignited conversations about racism and harassment in public spaces, with many praising Taufiq for calmly handling the situation.