American Airlines Suspends Flight Attendant After Incident Involving Stroller [VIDEO]
American Airlines has suspended a flight attendant over an altercation involving a stroller.
The incident took place on American Airlines flight AA591 from San Francisco to Dallas, and according to a video posted to Facebook by passenger Surain Adyanthaya, it looks like things got heated after the attendant "grabbed the stroller from the woman, who was carrying 15-month-old twins."
The situation went from bad to worse as the attendant began to get into it with a male passenger who came to the woman's defense. The man is heard saying, "Hey bud, you do that to me and I’ll knock you flat."
The attendant is then heard replying "You stay out of this!"
The mom was visibly crying and trying to shield her baby as the man got out of his seat to confront the attendant. It was at that point when the attendant went into a rage saying, “Try it, hit me! Come on, bring it on!"
American Airlines quickly apologized for the incident, stating that what is seen on the video doesn't reflect their values.
The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care. In short, we are disappointed by these actions.
This incident comes in the wake of a viral video that showed officers violently removing a United Airlines passenger from a plane in Chicago, so to say this wasn't the best timing for the incident would be an understatement.
The difference here is that American immediately responded and took actions to resolve the situation claiming "full responsibility" for the altercation even thought some witnesses claimed the woman knew not to bring the stroller on the plane, shouting and refusing to let it go when approached by the attendant.
The airline has already started an investigation to "obtain the facts" but didn't waste any time accommodating the passenger after the incident.
What we see on this video does not reflect our values or how we care for our customers. We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident. We are making sure all of her family's needs are being met while she is in our care. After electing to take another flight, we are taking special care of her and her family and upgrading them to first class for the remainder of their international trip.
American said that most strollers are "typically checked at the gate," instead of baggage claim so that families can use them before flights, but still apologized to everyone affected for the way the situation was handled. The flight did take off—more than an hour after scheduled departure time.
American also stated that the "American team member has been removed from duty" while they "immediately investigate" the incident.