Tom Wagner says he fell asleep on a United Express flight from Louisiana to California. When the jet made a stop over in Houston, he was apparently overlooked by fellow passengers and the plane's crew.

Wagner said at first he thought he was dreaming when he woke up in the empty jet, "I woke up and the lights were out and I said, 'What's going on'?"

Wagner told KVEO-TV that he called his girlfriend from his cellphone to let her know what happened, but she didn't believe him. He says it wasn't until about 30 minutes later when a maintenance crew came on board that he was discovered.

Express Jet issued the following statement on the incident; "Express Jet is investigating to determine how this occurred, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this caused the passenger."

Wagner says the airline paid for a hotel room for him that night and gave him a $250 voucher for his missed connection and inconvenience.

Keep Reading

Security wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ranged from seven to 15 minutes around 3 p.m. Sunday, July 6, 2025, as travelers returned from the long Fourth of July weekend. (Gray Mollenkamp/AJC)

Credit: Gray Mollenkamp

Featured

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue said joining neighboring states to form a new accreditation agency will “keep Georgia’s universities among the best in the nation." (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC