Getting off your flight is usually the least dramatic bit of a journey. However, that was not the case for Dr. Michael Park, whose recent trip with United Airlines ended with a racist encounter. The Denver dermatologist took to Instagram and TikTok to share his version of the story with his sizable following and to hold United accountable. In the video, he claimed that a disheveled man was at the gate, behind the desk, which made Park assume he was an employee.
Park claimed, “He’s going, ‘Welcome! Welcome!’ and then he gets to me. And then he looks at me and goes, ‘Konnichiwa.’ In this mocking, like, tacky fake accent tone like it’s a joke.” Park noted that he was Korean, not Japanese. “If you know anything about the history between those two countries, which I assume his ignorant self did not, you know that that’s not a harmless little mix-up that one might think it is.”
Park decided not to let the comment slide. He recounted, “So, I went up to him and basically was like, ‘What you said, just generalizing my race, was blatantly racist. And you don’t just get to say that to people and expect to walk away like nothing happened.” Park noted that he then asked if the man was an employee. The man denied it and then allegedly pointed to the woman at the desk with him, telling Park, “Well, she’s an employee.”
Park was confused about the situation
Park said, “So I look at her, and she just stares at the ground, says nothing, and just lets it happen. And then he continues to harass passengers as they get off the plane, and no one’s doing anything about this.”
In the post, Park demanded accountability, “So let me get this straight, United. Either this man is your employee or an employee at the airport, and he lied to my face. Or you’re letting random people stand at your podium and mock and harass passengers as they deplane. So which one is it? Because both are literally insane and extremely unprofessional.”
He claimed, “With that joke, that guy looked at me and just expected me to just take it. Assumed that I just keep my head down and walk off because that’s probably what they expect an asian person to do. But unfortunately for them, they got the wrong person. And it’s 2026. And we’re not doing that anymore.” In an American Airlines flight, a Black woman alleged she was checked when she headed to her first-class seat.
On Instagram, one user commented, “Can confirm, I was there and it was so bizarre! Im not sure why this man was “greeting” passengers as we deplaned, but the blatant racism was appalling, especially from someone who was sitting at the United desk like they were an employee.”
Another user on TikTok wrote, “It’s 2026, and we are not doing this anymore. Seriously. I’m sorry this happened to you, and so glad you challenged this behavior.” In one case, an X user recorded a racist grandpa who accused a flight attendant of buying a Social Security number.
United Airlines eventually commented on the Instagram post, asking for details. Park then uploaded an update with details from them. He explained that United identified the man as a passenger from an unknown flight. When the situation took place, the gate agent had reportedly already flagged a supervisor, who eventually escorted the man from the terminal. Additionally, a spokesperson told TheTravel, “The person referenced in his video is not a United employee.”
Park noted, “I am trusting United’s account on this. I wasn’t actually able to see or confirm this happened, so I’m just telling you what they told me.” He gave the woman at the gate credit for escalating the situation, but stated, “So in the actual moment that I was harassed and turned and looked at a professional to do something, it still felt like silence. And I can acknowledge that both of these things can be held true at the same time.”
One Instagram user agreed, “Her silence was still terrible. She should have told you what was happening or apologized and brought you over to the counter to talk with her to let you know quietly that the supervisor had been called and to apologize profusely for what happened under her watch.”
According to the US Department of Transportation, passengers have a right to fly free from discrimination. Federal law prohibits airlines from discriminating against passengers based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or ancestry. Airlines are responsible for providing safe, secure, and non-discriminatory air travel. If a passenger believes they have been discriminated against by airline personnel or contractors, they have the right to file a consumer complaint.
Published: Jul 19, 2026 12:54 pm