US Tennis Star Slams United After ‘Canceled’ Flight Suddenly Takes Off With Her Bags

Published Nov 3, 2026, 4:05 AM EST A graduate in German, Jake has a passion for history and regional aviation, and enjoys sampling new carriers and aircraft. He has visited OEM facilities as far and wide as Bristol, Toulouse, and Seattle, and recently enjoyed the milestone of flying his 150th sector as a passenger. Based in Norfolk, UK. American tennis icon Jessica Pegula took to social media on Monday night after her United Airlines flight departed without her but with her bags still on board. Given the use of 'we' and 'us' in her post, it seems that Pegula was not the only passenger affected by this unusual turn of events, which reportedly came about after her flight was canceled and then 'un-canceled' after sitting in a downpour. The situation highlights an unusual operational oddity of modern commercial aviation in the United States of America, whereby checked bags are allowed to be flown even if their owners are not present, despite the potential security concerns that this may pose. In any case, Pegula (and United Airlines, for its own sake) will be hoping for a swift resolution on her way to the WTA Finals in California. Understandable Frustration Credit: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock Late on Monday night, Jessica Pegula posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) to ask United to "explain to me how you canceled our flight, told us to go to baggage claim, and then uncanceled the flight and took off with our bags." While the exact flight involved is not clear, Pegula is based in Florida and was likely flying west for the WTA Finals, which run from November 8 to 15 in Indian Wells, California. The bag incident was the cherry on a disappointing operational cake, with Pegula adding that "we also sat on the plane for two hours in a torrential downpour when everyone else went back to the gate." To add insult to injury, while passengers were told that their bags would indeed be removed, the flight then took off without them being unloaded, with Pegula calling it the "craziest thing I’ve ever seen." Simple Flying has reached out to United Airlines for futher information on this incident. We will update our coverage upon receiving a statement from the carrier. What Are The Rules Around Transporting Bags Without Their Passengers? Credit: Robin Guess | Shutterstock Away from the obvious disappointment experienced by the passengers on the flight from a customer service perspective, this incident, from the outside, could initially seem to raise eyebrows on the security side of things. After all, having checked bags fly without their owners is what resulted in several major aircraft bombing incidents in the 20th century. Today, however, certain procedures are in place. According to View From The Wing, on international flights, a system known as Positive Passenger Bag Matching ensures that, if, for whatever reason, a passenger is offloaded from a flight, their checked bag also has to go with them. This keeps them together at all times, and is seen as a worthwhile security benefit even if finding and offloading the bag delays the flight. Domestically, however, it's different. As checked bags are now screened in more detail before flights, they are allowed to remain on board without their owner (as long as they pass the screening, of course). There are exceptions to this rule, such as where electronic screening is not possible, but, generally, it can and does happen. With that being said, Pegula's incident saw multiple passengers affected, likely causing greater complications later on. Don't Tennis Players Fly Privately? Credit: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock At the time of writing on Tuesday morning, Pegula's X post has been viewed more than 80,000 times, with the tennis star receiving various messages of support. United Airlines itself weighed in with a reply, with the carrier asking Pegula to "DM us your confirmation number so we can assist" and saying that "we understand that travel doesn't always go as planned, and we're sorry for the frustration." Other users were surprised that the world's fourth-best female tennis player was flying commercially, but Pegula has a reputation as a woman of the people in the tennis circuit, having also famously caught the train to the US Open. Private air travel is common in tennis, with the BBC noting that Pegula herself once offered fellow players the use of her aircraft, but, sometimes, commercial is just the best option.