American Airlines has suspended an employee and issued an apology after an altercation on one of its planes involving crew members, several passengers and a young child.
The airline responded after a video posted on Facebook by another passenger showed a confrontation between flight crew and passengers at the front of the aircraft bound for Dallas from San Francisco on Friday.
Surain Adyanthaya, who shot the video, said the incident occurred after the employee forcefully took a child’s buggy from a woman, hitting her with it and narrowly missing her child.
The three-minute clip shows the aftermath of the incident, with the woman crying and asking for the pushchair. Another passenger comes to her defence and threatens to punch the flight attendant, who in turn challenges the passenger to hit him.
Less than a fortnight ago Dr David Dao, 69, was injured when Chicago aviation police dragged him off a United Airlines flight. The incident sparked international outrage and was a public relations disaster for the carrier.
Leslie Scott, an American Airlines spokeswoman, said the incident was sparked by a dispute over whether the woman could bring the buggy into the cabin.
“We have seen the video and have already started an investigation to obtain the facts,” the airline said in a statement. “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 added: “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. The American team member has been removed from duty while we immediately investigate this incident.”
