American Airlines has apologised to a female passenger and suspended a flight attendant after a video showing an onboard clash over a baby stroller went viral, in the latest embarassment for a US carrier over how it treated a customer.
The clip, posted to Facebook on Friday by a bystander on the flight, shows a woman in tears with a young child in her arms, and a man emerging from his seat to confront a male flight attendant.
American Airlines said in a statement on Saturday it was investigating the incident, which took place before the plane took off on a flight from San Francisco to Dallas.
"We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident," the airline said.
Related Content
The woman elected to take another flight and was upgraded to first class, the airline said.
Less than two weeks ago, United Air Lines found itself in a public relations nightmare when a video appeared online showing a 69-year-old doctor being dragged off one of its flights to make room for a crew member, sparking international outrage and policy changes by the airline.
In this latest incident, a fellow passenger, Surain Adyanthaya, uploaded a video to Facebook on Friday afternoon, writing: "OMG! AA Flight attendant violently took a stroller from a lady with her baby on my flight, hitting her and just missing the baby."
"Then he tried to fight a passenger who stood up for her."
"We have seen the video and have already started an investigation to obtain the facts," American Airlines spokesperson Leslie Scott said in an email to The Washington Post.
"What we see on this video does not reflect our values or how we care for our customers."
The video does not depict the stroller incident that Adyanthaya described, but it does show a female passenger standing at the front of the plane, sobbing uncontrollably as she holds a baby in a pink outfit. Beside her, a pilot stands mostly silent.
"You can't use violence with baby," the female passenger says, through tears, toward the plane door where some passengers can still be seen boarding. "Just give me back my stroller, please."
At first, the male flight attendant in question does not appear in the frame. In the meantime, a male passenger seated near the front of the plane can be heard getting flustered.
"No, I'm not going to sit here and watch this stuff. . ." the male passenger says. He then gets out of his seat and demands to know the male flight attendant's name.
As this takes place, other passengers can be heard discussing in low voices what they just witnessed.
Moments later, the male flight attendant returns to the plane.
"Hey, bud," the male passenger who had gotten out of his seat earlier calls out, while pointing at the male flight attendant. "You do that to me and I'll knock you flat."
"Hey, you stay out of this!" the flight attendant yells back, pointing his finger back at the male passenger.
The flight attendant takes a step forward and the male passenger leaps into the aisle. The passenger with the baby can be seen ducking out of the way, shielding her baby's head. As their argument escalates, it appears as if the confrontation could get physical.
"Hit me," the flight attendant urges, motioning with his hands. "Come on, hit me."
"Tony, sit down," a woman can be heard calling out to the male passenger.
"You don't know what the story is!" the flight attendant says to the passenger.
"I don't care what the story is," the male passenger replies. "You almost hurt a baby."
American Airlines said the male flight attendant in the video had been suspended from flying while the investigation takes place.
"The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care," the airline spokeswoman said in a statement.
"In short, we are disappointed by these actions. The American [Airlines] team member has been removed from duty while we immediately investigate this incident."
He said the female passenger and her children ended up choosing to take another flight and were upgraded to first class for the remainder of their international trip.
"We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident," the airline said in a statement. "We are making sure all of her family's needs are being met while she is in our care."
Washington Post, Reuters