It's been less than two weeks since a video of a bloodied passenger being dragged off a United Airlines aircraft ignited a national discussion about the airline industry ’s treatment of passengers, and now, yet another onboard incident captured on video is raising eyebrows -- and it's resulted in the immediate grounding of a flight attendant.
A video posted to Facebook Friday by Surain Adyanthaya -- a passenger onboard American Airlines flight 591, from San Franciso to Dallas -- shows an intense confrontation between flight crew and a handful of passengers at the front of the aircraft while it is still on the tarmac in San Francisco.
The heated moment began when a flight attendant took away a stroller from a female passenger, Adyanthaya told ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas, which reported that the woman was from Argentina and travelling with her two children.
The nearly three-minute video does not show the flight attendant taking the stroller, but near its start, the woman is seen crying and asking for the stroller back.
The incident then escalates with a male passenger coming to her defense, and asking for the male flight attendant's name, saying, "Hey bud, hey bud, you do that to me and I'll knock you flat!"
The flight attendant, who is visibly angry, points his finger at the passenger and says, "Hey, you stay out of this!"
A pilot appears to attempt to calm down the flight attendant.
During the entire video, the female passenger continues to be heard crying.
American Airlines was quick to react -- 20 minutes after the plane landed in Dallas. It apologized for the incident and said the flight attendant had been grounded. The woman and her family were also upgraded to first class.
"We have seen the video and have already started an investigation to obtain the facts," the Dallas-based 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."
The statement continues, "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."
Seems that airlines are becoming the new ''no fly zone''....
You should see some of the confrontations with the TSA goons.
I've seen some of the TSA confrontations. But this is about an airline not the TSA. The treatment of passengers in this manner is simply not acceptable.
I'm glad that American Airlines reacted so quickly and appropriately!
Flying with a baby is no fun. At all. We flew to Cancun in 2001, and had a HUGE tussle over a car seat, which was recommended by their website, but required pilot assessment to determine we weren't hiding a bomb. Can you imagine? Me? Hiding a bomb? And this was 1 month BEFORE 9/11. I haven't flown since...
Note: Despite the fact that we were surrounded by adults, I felt that we were going to be stoned by Bic pens, because we brought a baby on a plane. He was 2 and as good as gold, not crying or fussing once. Everyone commented on how good he was. I worked hard on keeping him happy and comfortable.
I'm glad that American Airlines reacted so quickly and appropriately!
I saw the tape on TV a bit ago and I am glad they got out in front of this the way they did. Upgrading her to First Class on the rest of her flights to Argentina, suspending that idiotic Flight Attendant (who obviously has serious anger issues and needs to be fired!), apologizing to her and releasing a public statement were all smart things to do and may have saved them a lawsuit.
They sure did a hell of a lot better than UAL...
The only way they could have handled it worse then UAL would have been to beat the hell out of the baby...and that flight attendant look like just the type! Or shoot the woman. When I was a hotel GM I would have fired that guy on the spot. If you can't handle an angry customer better then that then you're in the wrong line of work. Join Big Time Wrestling instead.
Watching the video, the captain comes out of the cabin and stands there like a dufus. He's in charge of the plane, fricking act like it and take charge and get things under control.
IMO, he's a big a waste of time as the attendant.
That's true. I mean sure he puts a hand on the flight attendant's shoulder, but he should have got around in front of him and moved him off the plane as soon as the confrontation with the male passenger began.
LOL, you look like a dangerous lot to me Dowser...
Knowing Matthew I'm sure that he was good as good, or at least a precious stone.
He never cried, never raised his voice, etc. I had a battery of little gummy bears and everything to keep him swallowing so his ears wouldn't hurt, plenty of toys, plenty of things to keep him amused. I talked to him the whole time, and did my best to keep him happy. Golly, it was a lot of work. I was afraid of the fellow passengers, who looked at me so evilly, when we brought him on board...
I have never had to fly with any of my children, but I use to have to fly all of the time on business and I probably could have used the little gummy bears because of other people's darlings...to put in my ears!
They key was in keeping him comfortable... I did the best I could!
The attendant looked like he was about to wet himself when that passenger got in his face. I'm still trying to figure out why the woman was melting down over a stroller though. Emotional issues? This was handled as poorly as it could have been, nonetheless.
When he took the stroller away from here, supposedly it hit her in the face, Hal.
I was never allowed to bring a stroller onboard a plane when my boys were babies. It may have hit her, but she doesn't look damaged. A passenger defiantly tells you he will not get off a plane or she is not going to give up her stroller.....what does an attendant do? It is so crowded and hectic on a plane before departure that, sometimes, it hits the fan.
It never fails, something appalling happens and there's always someone who finds a way to blame the victim.
This is not blame it on the victim. I have a choice in this life, particularly, when I am out of my comfort zone. There is a time and place to confront an injustice.