At the time of the diversion, airline staff were informed that the passenger had suffered a cardiac arrest, an airline spokeswoman told CNN.
The paramedics took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the statement.
The passenger’s wife was heard telling the EMT that her husband had Covid-related symptoms, including loss of taste and smell, according to the spokeswoman.
However, medical professionals at the time never confirmed Covid-19, the spokeswoman said.
When he checked in for the flight, the passenger acknowledged on the airline’s Ready-to-Fly checklist that he had not been diagnosed with Covid-19 and that he had no Covid-related symptoms, the spokeswoman said.
After receiving more information about the health of this passenger, “it is clear that he erroneously acknowledged this requirement,” the spokeswoman said.
As medical professionals initially decided the emergency as a cardiac arrest, the flight continued to Los Angeles on the same plane and passengers had the option to disembark and take a later flight, according to the company statement. aerial. “A change in the plane was not guaranteed,” the airline said.
All passengers chose to continue on to Los Angeles.
The family confirmed that the man had suffered from pre-existing illnesses, such as high blood pressure and upper respiratory problems, and that he felt unwell until the day of the trip.
United shares the requested information with the CDC “so they can work with local health officials to disclose any client,” according to the agency, which may be at risk of possible exposure or infection, according to the airline’s statement.
The company has been in contact with the man’s family and “has expressed our most sincere condolences for their loss,” according to the statement.
Airlines requesting more contact information
On Wednesday, United Airlines announced it would ask passengers for additional contact information in case anyone on its flight comes with coronavirus.
They can then share this information with the CDC.
Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines also announced that it will request contact tracking information for passengers entering the United States.
So far, no major outbreak of Covid-19 has been found on a commercial flight to the United States, but so far there has been no widespread effort to track passenger contacts.
CNN’s Pete Muntean and Greg Wallace also contributed to this story.