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Home » United Airlines » United Flight Attendant Mistakes Simone Biles For Child, Offers Her Coloring Book
NewsUnited Airlines

United Flight Attendant Mistakes Simone Biles For Child, Offers Her Coloring Book

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 11, 2022November 14, 2023 40 Comments

a woman with braids holding her hand to her forehead

A flight attendant apparently mistook 4-foot-8-inch Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles for a child, offering her a coloring book in business class on a recent United Airlines flight. The irony is that United is a former Team USA sponsor and has featured Biles in a number of it ads and social media posts.

Simone Biles Mistaken for Child, Offered Coloring Book On United Airlines Flight To Houston

Last week, President Joe Biden honored Olympic Gymnast Simone Biles with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony. Describing Biles, Biden said:

“Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history, with a combined total of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. Biles is also a prominent advocate for athletes’ mental health and safety, children in the foster care system, and victims of sexual assault.”

On the way back to her home in the Houston, Texas area, 25-year-old Biles shared of an incident that occurred on her United Airlines Airbus A319 flight. Upon boarding, a flight attendant failed to recognize her and offered her a coloring book intended for children. The gymnast is under five feet tall and extremely youthful in appearance. Biles responded:

a woman taking a selfie

“No, I’m good. I’m 25.”

Not that it was any consolation, but she was offered a mimosa by another flight attendant (thought that flight attendant also asked if she was old enough to drink):

a hand holding a cup of juice

‘The other flight attendant gave me a mimosa so we’re in the clear…she did ask if I was old enough to drink it when it was brought over.”

Biles took the incident well, though many on Twitter are outraged over what occurred. Many of short stature shared their frustration of being mistaken for a child while in public settings.

The mistake was particularly ironic considering United Airlines is a sponsor of Team USA and has prominently cheered on Biles and even used her in one of its commercials:

. @United knows! Thanks for making sure Goldie gets a ride to Tokyo. 🐐 @TeamUSA is taking the #RoadToTokyo to the skies – next stop, Japan! #ad #MyUnitedJourney pic.twitter.com/70ns0NP4T4

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) July 14, 2021

When @Simone_Biles comes to visit us at work, we can’t help but get excited. #TeamUnited pic.twitter.com/lQCCwYmXzH

— United Airlines (@united) October 10, 2016

Superhuman ability. Superhuman bravery. 🐐
💙 and support to our partner and friend @Simone_Biles. pic.twitter.com/iUoIiHElEZ

— United Airlines (@united) July 28, 2021


> Read More: United Airlines Stands Behind Simone Biles
> Read More: New United Airlines Ad: “Time to Let Yourself Fly”


CONCLUSION

I do find it ironic that this occurred on United Airlines of all places, but I’m not sure what there is to be outraged about. As for me, I’d be thankful for anyone that carded me when I ordered a drink or offered me a coloring book. Enjoy fleeting youth…

image: Instagram / @simonebiles

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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40 Comments

  1. Dave Edwards Reply
    July 11, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    The bigger question is what did Biden mistake her for? Hopefully not his daughter Ashley in a shower.

    • tom Reply
      July 11, 2022 at 7:10 pm

      Surely he kissed her head.

    • Pete Reply
      July 11, 2022 at 7:53 pm

      Or Ivanka sitting on her father’s lap.

      • Gravelly Point Guy Reply
        July 11, 2022 at 9:57 pm

        That’s more like it!

    • Ken Reply
      July 12, 2022 at 9:16 am

      Another lame comment from you. So lazy and unoriginal.

  2. CHRIS Reply
    July 11, 2022 at 7:04 pm

    Cringy PR stunt but uh okay. Biles and UA have had a relationship for a while.

  3. Jan Reply
    July 11, 2022 at 7:48 pm

    Meanwhile “United rising” 😀

  4. Your daddy Reply
    July 11, 2022 at 7:48 pm

    Of course if United offered your kids a coloring book you would rip them up right then and there said do you know who I am! Bc of your kids are Minnie mes and aren’t allowed to be kids, no coloring books, no cartoons, only adult stuff. Great childhood!

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 11, 2022 at 7:50 pm

      You’re quite twisted. My kids greatly enjoy coloring and it is an activity I greatly encourage. In fact, it’s exactly what they are doing now.

      • Interested Traveler Reply
        July 11, 2022 at 9:47 pm

        My question, was Ms. Biles served the compressed science chicken that is now common in UA First Class meals?

        • Matthew Klint Reply
          July 11, 2022 at 10:02 pm

          Not only that, but ex-DCA catering receives the Dole fruit cup!

  5. Amy Fischer Reply
    July 11, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    She’s 4’8 so I can see how she was mistaken for a children. She has muscular upper build with those arms but she’s 4’8. Still don’t see what she did to deserve the medal of freedom. Has she been a freedom advocate who has spoken out for free speech, sanctioning Europe for criminalizing speech, freedom of association, bodily integrity and medical freedom: no. One day these awards may be cancelled and revoked if the system is dismantled and she might have to return the medal. That would be the only fair thing.

    • UA-NYC Reply
      July 11, 2022 at 10:33 pm

      Actually only fair thing is for a low IQ racist like yourself to get cancelled

      • Jan Reply
        July 12, 2022 at 2:12 am

        And I had thought you already cancelled yourself from the internet. Go back to your hole, you self-loathing dingleberry.

        • UA-NYC Reply
          July 12, 2022 at 5:30 pm

          Ah “Jan”, the dollar store reject version of Amy Fischer. Try not to self bear spray yourself on your next Capitol storming.

          • Aaron
            July 13, 2022 at 9:36 am

            Looks like Jan and Amy are the same person but forgot which name they were using at the time and used the wrong one…

    • CHRIS Reply
      July 11, 2022 at 11:15 pm

      She’s black. That what she did.

      • Mrs C Reply
        July 12, 2022 at 8:34 am

        How to say you’re a racist without uttering the actual words.

    • Aaron Reply
      July 12, 2022 at 4:40 am

      You really seem like one of those people who wants to call a black person the N-word and get away with it.

  6. HkCaGu Reply
    July 11, 2022 at 9:09 pm

    United ***WAS*** the Team USA sponsor. Delta has the current sponsorship since 2021, although not including the delayed 2020 Tokyo games.

  7. UAflyGUY Reply
    July 11, 2022 at 9:53 pm

    Hey Matt, want to point out that Untied lost the Olympic sponsorship contract to Delta last year. So United is no longer the official airline for the Olympics.

  8. Proschwit Reply
    July 12, 2022 at 8:28 am

    How many people would recognize her if they saw her walking down the street? Looking at her picture she is dressed in a long sleeve blouse that covered her toned arms, she doesn’t appear to be wearing any makeup at all in her picture, she is only 4 foot 8 inches and she has a youthful appearance. If I saw her dressed as she was in that first picture I wouldn’t know that was Simone and would walk right past her. United has over 25,000 flight attendants one offers her a coloring book the other offers her a drink so what not every flight attendant is going to know what every celebrity looks like.

    At least the flight attendant who did offer her the drink took at her word that she was in fact old enough to drink and didn’t ask to see identification or worst refuse to actually serve her an alcoholic beverage.

    • Aaron Reply
      July 12, 2022 at 9:45 am

      I don’t tbink its a case of not recognizing her, but mistaking her for a child…

      • Proschwit Reply
        July 12, 2022 at 5:10 pm

        I’m sorry I don’t understand the insult. Americans spend billions of dollars every year on procedures, makeup, creams, solutions, searching for the fountain of youth trying to make ourselves appear younger than we actually are. We get offended when someone says we look older than we actually are. But here we have someone who has great genes, look younger than she actually is even without any makeup on (something most women would kill for) and yet people are still offended?

        Get out of here with that mess.

        • Aaron Reply
          July 13, 2022 at 9:39 am

          I get the feeling there are probably quite a few insults you don’t quite get.

          Also, I don’t think she was offended or insulted, she was just pointing out something that happened to her on a recent flight.

          • proschwit
            July 13, 2022 at 5:18 pm

            I don’t spend time worrying about what others think of me. In fact it is quite funny when someone throws an insult in a blog expecting it to have an effect on the person they’re insulting.

            Your words have no power here, so please throw all the insults you want at me LOL!!!

  9. Mrs C Reply
    July 12, 2022 at 8:35 am

    Nothing wrong with taking the coloring book and the mimosa 🙂

  10. Jay Reply
    July 12, 2022 at 10:20 am

    Grammer issue. old not hold enough to drink.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 12, 2022 at 11:36 am

      Fixed.Thanks.

      #Grammar

  11. Flight Attendant of the Year Reply
    July 12, 2022 at 12:22 pm

    So what’s the big fuss about? Why is this even worthy of posting?

    Aren’t families being murdered in Ukraine, children and adults being murdered during a 4th of July parade or in their classrooms? Aren’t there more pressing news than this? Didn’t United just ship in thousands of cases of baby formula to help with the shortage? Didn’t their crew just saved a passengers life?

    This post is ridiculous. Simon Biles needs to check her ego at the aircraft door. As if this is the end of the world. Get real. So she was mistaken for a child. Next thing we will hear is she can’t fly because she’s so traumatized.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 12, 2022 at 12:56 pm

      I appreciated the irony of the situation.

    • LAX Reply
      July 12, 2022 at 3:02 pm

      You are literally the only person making a big fuss about this lighthearted incident.

  12. chasgoose Reply
    July 12, 2022 at 12:55 pm

    Even if she’s short and you couldn’t notice her broad shoulders, at youngest Biles looks like 13-15, which still seems to old to be offered a coloring book.

  13. Pete johnson Reply
    July 12, 2022 at 9:46 pm

    Ask her how she got out of the zoo

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 12, 2022 at 10:20 pm

      This is ugly racism. I am leaving it here for everyone to see and condemn. I hope this is a pathetic attempt at humor, but it is not funny; it is despicable.

      • Aaron Reply
        July 13, 2022 at 9:41 am

        Too bad a comment has to be this blatant and openly racist for you to react to it…

        • Matthew Klint Reply
          July 13, 2022 at 9:43 am

          You haven’t seen all the comments I have deleted…

          • UA-NYC
            July 13, 2022 at 7:47 pm

            How about ongoing, repeat posters like Amy Fischer basically outright espousing her naked racism and white nationalism? https://liveandletsfly.com/united-airlines-hbcu-golf/

            Have to do better Matthew. Don’t enable the dregs of society on your blog.

        • kanga Reply
          July 13, 2022 at 10:13 am

          And yet a post trying to make sense of Kyle’s grammar or indecipherable sentences, with absolutely no insults or malice, is taken down immediately.

  14. Brad Reply
    July 13, 2022 at 11:04 am

    Who says coloring books have to be for kids?

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