Social media takes aim at American Airlines after stroller spat
Thursday, 24 Apr, 2017
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American Airlines has been quick to apologize and grounded a flight attendant as another incident of passenger mistreatment went viral.
A Facebook video posted online showed an angry confrontation between a passenger and flight attendant.
The flight attendant allegedly grabbed a child’s stroller which hit a mother and narrowly missed hitting her baby on Flight 591 which was due to depart from San Francisco.
The woman can be seen on the clip sobbing while a male passenger then angrily intervenes.
"Hey bud, you do that to me and I’ll knock you flat," he can be heard saying to the male flight attendant.
The two men then confront each other in a tense scene.
"A baby almost got hurt. That’s what just fired me up, so that was it. I don’t want to make a big deal about it," passenger Tony Fierro told TV station WFAA-TV.
Unlike the infamous United Airlines incident, American wasted no time in apologizing and noted its disappointment at the actions of the flight attendant.
"We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family… The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care," an American statement said.
However, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants appears to defend its member.
"Neither the company nor the public should rush to judgment… It appears another passenger may have threatened a flight attendant with violence, which is a violation of federal law and no small matter."
The airline says it upgraded the mother and her family to first class for the remaining leg of their journey.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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