Now it gets ugly on American Airlines
NEW YORK American Airlines apologised to a woman passenger and suspended an employee after a video showing an onboard clash over a baby stroller went viral in the latest passenger-related embarrassment for a US carrier.
The clip, posted on Facebook on Friday by another passenger on board 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 who had allegedly wrested the stroller from the woman.
Facebook user Surain Adyanthaya, who posted the video, wrote that the man had grabbed the stroller, hitting the woman with it and barely missing her child.
TEARS
But the clip, which began with the woman in tears, did not capture that alleged incident.
What it shows is the unidentified man asking for the name of the male employee.
Later, when the flight attendant appears, the man says to him: "You do that to me and I'll knock you flat."
The flight attendant then angrily challenges the passenger to hit him. The clip ends after the man eventually returns to his seat.
American Airlines said in a statement it was investigating the incident, which took place before the plane took off on a flight from San Francisco to Dallas.
It said in a statement: "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 woman decided to take another flight and was upgraded to first class, said the airline.
The treatment of passengers by the airline industry came into the spotlight after a video appeared online two weeks ago showing a 69-year-old passenger being dragged off a United Airlines flight to make room for a crew member.
The fracas sparked international outrage and policy changes by the airline.
- REUTERS
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