What a few weeks for airline employees (and passengers)!

Just a few weeks after United Airlines got a ton of heat (and subsequent lawsuits) for forcibly removing a passenger from an overbooked flight, American Airlines is now in the news for an unflattering incident.

According to witnesses the story goes like this:

An American Airlines attendant allegedly “violently took a stroller from a lady with her baby on my flight, hitting her and just missing the baby.” Another male passenger took issue with the attendant’s actions and confronted the employee and said, “You do that to me and I’ll knock you flat.”

Here’s the video below.

Another passenger named Tom Watson was seated in the front row and told Q13 Fox exactly what he saw,

“The lady and her two children were seated near the back of the plane. She was somehow able to get her stroller on board and back near her seat…”

The woman apparently was approached by the flight attendant and was told that she could not have the stroller on the plane, “She refused to let him take it and she was almost to the point of shouting…The flight attendant and the woman started making their way to the front of the plane. They were at the front of the plane near the crew area. The woman was holding on to the stroller and refusing to let go.”

The flight attendant allegedly “aggressively” took the stroller from the woman, hitting her in the head and nearly hitting her small children.

Watson said, “The flight attendant should not have been so aggressive and should have been more aware of the kids.”

Watson laid blame at the feet of both the woman and the flight attendant, “The woman knows not to bring the stroller on a plane, she refused to let it go… she was shouting, so she is also at fault in my opinion…But don’t get me wrong, the flight attendant should be way more professional than he was.”

According to the American Airlines website, here are the rules regarding strollers:

“Each ticketed customer is allowed 1 stroller. Only small, collapsible and light strollers (up to 20lbs/9kgs) can be checked at the gate. Any stroller that weighs over 20lbs/9 kgs, is too large or is non?collapsible must be checked at the ticket counter.

Customers are allowed 1 stroller and 1 car seat per ticketed passenger. Both items may be checked at the ticket counter or one item can be checked at the gate and one at the counter. These items are checked at no charge, when traveling with a child or to adopt.”

American Airlines has since issued a statement regarding the FLIGHT AA591 (San Francisco to Dallas-Fort Worth) incident saying,

“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.”

They also reportedly upgraded the woman to first class for the remaining of her international trip and the flight attendant has been suspended.

Thoughts?

Who do you think was in the wrong?

Filed under: American Airlines, United Airlines