Woman wakes up alone on plane

Ginger McGuire said no one had awakened her when the plane landed more than three hours earlier. She said she paced the aisle for about 15 minutes early Tuesday until the locked door opened and police demanded identification.

“Waking up to an empty airplane and not being able to get out — it was very horrifying,” McGuire, 36, told reporters on Thursday as her lawyer announced a lawsuit.

McGuire said she simply fell asleep after a long trip that stretched from Detroit to suburban Washington and, finally, Philadelphia. She said the plane landed on Tuesday about 12:30 am EDT. United Airlines spokeswoman Sarah Massier declined comment because the incident has led to a lawsuit.

The Transportation Security Administration said it also was investigating. A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said there was no regulation about leaving someone asleep on a plane.

McGuire’s attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, said his firm filed a lawsuit against United and Trans States, alleging negligence, false imprisonment and distress.