Talk about fight or flight.

Passengers on a recent United Airlines flight were sent into a panic when an automated emergency announcement came on to tell them to put on their oxygen masks — even though there wasn’t any danger.

But only a few people on the Boeing 777-200ER from Paris to Washington, DC, last Wednesday, June 12, actually had oxygen masks in front of them to grab.

Passengers on a recent United Airlines flight were sent into a panic when an automated emergency announcement came on to tell them to put on their oxygen masks — even though there wasn’t any danger. Reddit / Niceplantsnola

The announcement on Flight UA914 told everyone to “wait for the oxygen masks to fall from the compartment, then put them over your head and pull down,” according to Simple Flying.

Parker Pitman, a passenger on the flight, told the outlet that people started to panic when masks failed to be deployed after the eerie announcement — and some even tried to force the compartments open to take matters into their own hands.

A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed the incident to Simple Flying: “On June 12th, a small number of oxygen masks inadvertently deployed on United flight 914 from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Dulles International Airport.”
The announcement on Flight UA914 told everyone to “wait for the oxygen masks to fall from the compartment, then put them over your head and pull down,” according to Simple Flying. Robert Smith/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“One person had a panic attack and ran to the aircraft door, presumably to open it,” Pitman shared. “None of the flight crew nor cabin crew had ever heard the announcement before, and it was a very odd situation.”

A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed the incident to Simple Flying: “On June 12th, a small number of oxygen masks inadvertently deployed on United flight 914 from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Dulles International Airport.”

“The air pressure in the cabin was normal for the entire flight, the aircraft landed safely as scheduled and customers deplaned normally.”

“One person had a panic attack and ran to the aircraft door, presumably to open it,” Pitman shared Courtesy Parker Pitman

To add to the uncertainty, a passenger told travel news site Paddle Your Own Kanoo that flight attendants announced to the entire cabin that they were having trouble getting in touch with the pilots through the interphone system.

United Airlines has faced a slew of issues recently, including a mysterious illness falling over dozens of passengers on a flight to Texas as well as a plane engine catching on fire.

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