American Airlines opens investigation into employee who hit woman with baby stroller
Source: RawStory
American Airlines has suspended an employee, and opened an investigation, after he reportedly hit a mother carrying a child with a baby stroller before challenging another passenger to a fight.
Friday night the flight attendant confronted a woman who was attempting to store a stroller in the the overhead bin on flight scheduled to leave San Francisco to Dallas. Taking the stroller from the woman the attendant hit her with it and just missed her baby she was carrying, creating outrage from fellow passengers.
In video posted to Facebook, the mother is seen crying at the front of the airplane while holding a child.
A man wearing an American Airlines uniform boards the plane and is confronted by a male passenger who admonishes him, “you do that to me and I’ll knock you flat, ” before being told to “stay out of it,” adding, “Try it. Hit me. You don’t know what the story is.”
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/american-airlines-opens-investigation-into-employee-who-hit-woman-with-baby-stroller-on-san-francisco-flight/
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DK504
(3,847 posts)Thank you to the gentleman that confronted that little ogre. The Captain not stepping in to de-escalate the problem was shocking to see.
from http://www.france24.com/en/20170422-sobbing-mother-video-prompts-controversy-american-airlines
"Hey, bud," he says to the flight attendant. "You do that to me, and I'll knock you flat."
"Hit me," the flight attendant says to the male passenger. "Come on, hit me. You don't know what the story is!"
"I don't care what the story is," the male passenger replies. "You almost hurt a baby."
There's a larger lesson to this.
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)Some airlines just seem to attract belligerent and abuse personalities, yet some don't.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)Yet they seem to cope a whole lot better. Even Allegiant which is empirically a horrible airline doesn't seem to scrape the bottom of the barrel where Aeroflot's American kin recruit their frontline staff.
Demsrule86
(68,992 posts)
politicaljunkie41910
(3,335 posts)happened. According to that account and accounts related by other passengers included in the comments section of the article, they blamed the Mother for the incident. That response is in the exerpt below. Other passengers concurred and also reported that the mother had been told at the gate that she had to check the stroller and that they had tagged it and told her to drop it off on the ramp. Instead she took it on board with her, pushing one stroller with a baby in it down the aisle with another baby on her hip (looked like twins from the picture I saw) while pulling a second stroller behind her. The male Flight Attendant whose is in question was originally in the rear of the aircraft and saw what was happening and approached her and told her that she needed to check the stroller, (according to passengers, it was a large doublewide stroller she was dragging) and he asked her to turn around to take it back up front. She began walking back towards the front of the aircraft and then stopped and refused to go any further. That's when the FA picked up the second stroller she was dragging and took it back up to the front boarding door and put it out on the ramp.
http://www.tmz.com/2017/04/22/american-airlines-video-stroller-mother-twins-employee/#disqus_thread
From a passenger named Eric from where the incident actually happened:
I was on this flight directly across the isle from the woman filming the video. This is what I observed: 1.) woman gets on the plane pushing a car seat type stroller with one child in it, carrying a second child on her hip and dragging behind a very large folded stroller that was too big for the overhead bin or to go under a seat. 2.) the flight attendant shown in the video approached from the back of the plane and informed her in a calm manner that there was nowhere to store the stroller. The woman immediately escalated the situation and within about 30 seconds was screaming at him at the top of her lungs. 3.) the flight attendant evidently decided she was not fit to be on the flight (in my opinion the correct decision) and started to move her and her children towards the front of the plane. 4.) when they got to the front of the plane the woman decided she was not going any further. The flight attendant picked up the stroller and lifted it over his head to try and move past the woman. As he was doing this she pushed him and the stroller fell a bit and struck her in the face. She began crying loudly and dramatically. Shortly after this is where the video begins. 5.) The first class passenger then inserts himself into the drama with his faux chivalry but clearly has no idea what has transpired in the back of the plane since he was in a window seat in the first class section of the plane and could not have viewed the incident from his seat. 6.) after another 10 minutes or so the woman exits the plane only to be returned about 5 minutes later and taken to her seat. We wait another 30-40 minutes while various flight and ground crew come and go speaking to the woman. After about 40 minutes she deplanes again this time telling all of the passengers, who are now becoming vocal in support of the flight crew, that all she wanted was an apology from the flight attendant. Evidently that's what the 40 minute delay was all about. Then we waited another 10 minutes for the ground crew to find and remove her luggage from the belly of the plane. 7.) the flight finally leaves and arrives in Dallas an hour or so late. American representatives are waiting at the gate to speak with the first class passenger who made the threats. What I heard was a very apologetic tone coming from two American employees, as if the airline had done something to upset the first class passenger. 8.) when I entered the bag claim area the first class passenger was right in front of me and as soon as he made it through the revolving door there was a camera crew waiting for him on the other side to interview him. That's about as factual of an account as I can provide and I realize there may be other parts of this story that I do not know about or did not witness. From what I saw: a.) if anyone from American should have been punished it should be the ground crew who somehow letting this woman on board with a full size stroller. The flight attendant was put in a horrible situation by a passenger that most passengers in my immediate area thought seemed unstable. She escalated the situation, not him. b.) in my opinion, the first class passenger should have been removed. Had the flight been in progress he might very well have been arrested upon landing for threatening a crew member. Additionally, he could not have seen any of the back of the plane antics of the woman based on where he was seated. c.) I agree the flight attendant may have reacted too harshly in responding to the threatening customer in first class, but his actions with the woman in question were professional throughout the ordeal. I am disappointed American has chosen to punish him.
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obamanut2012
(26,261 posts)With the stroller. If she couldn't find room in the overheads, then they would store it. It was an umbrella stroller, and those are allowed in overheads. It was tagged in case she couldn't find room in the overhead and had to gate check it in the jetway.
The FA DID hit her with the stroller, fact. He DID narrowly, very narrowly, almost hit the baby she was carrying, fact.
I have zero children, but I am disgusted by the shaming of this woman on social media. This was not her fault.
The FA is a bully and has some anger issues, and should NOT work with the public. And, wtf was up with the useless pilot???
Also, I wonder if the woman being a native Spanish speaker has anything to do with this?
Good for Tony! People ranted about DR. Dao not being helped, and now complain about this woman being helped. UGH.
onetexan
(13,104 posts)i hope he's not only fired but also charged. Disgraceful!
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Dammit Jim
(70 posts)
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,949 posts)is despicable, the job is one of the more stressful out there. They are on board the airplane, dealing with the result of decisions made by people who will never have to deal with the actual passengers. Passengers crammed into tiny seats, every flight packed full, no meal service on flights under 3 or 4 hours, delays, overbookings, and so on.
I was a ticket agent at an airport for ten years, and I know just how brutal it can be.
However, I'm not at all excusing the man's behavior.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,974 posts)bins rather than check bags/items that exceed the limit they get to carry on for free.
I wish we could see the incident from its start, rather than the snippet making the rounds. I wonder if that issue played a part. Would the stroller fit under a seat? I read elsewhere that she had a car seat too:
American Airlines Employee Allegedly Hit Woman With Stroller, Challenged Passenger To 'Hit Me' (Updated)
Yesterday 9:55pm
....
Update, April 22 2:17 a.m. ET: Q13 Fox interviewed other passengers that witnessed the altercation between the American Airlines employee and the mother of two over the stroller:
Olivia Morgan was standing in the doorway of the aircraft with her 8-year-old daughter waiting to board when the altercation happened.
“The flight attendant wrestled the stroller away from the woman, who was sobbing, holding one baby with the second baby in a car seat on the ground next to her,” she said.
Morgan said the flight attendant was “violent” when taking the metal stroller from the woman and nearly hit the baby with the stroller.
“He stormed by me with the stroller and I said something like, ‘What are you doing? You almost hit that baby!’ And he yelled at me to ‘stay out of it!’ just like he does in the video,” she said.
Morgan said she talked to the woman about the incident. The woman said a female flight attendant told her she could look for space to store the stroller because it folds up very small, but if there was no available space, she would need to check it at the gate.
Where is everything supposed to go?
Still, one would like to think that there was a calmer, easier way to handle this.
Partial disclosure: my father worked for a few airlines over the years. American and United were not among them. His salary paid my way through school and put a roof over my head.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,949 posts)a ridiculous number of items, and as hard as the airlines try, many of them sneak all those things past the ticket counter, past security, and past the gate agent. So the unfortunate flight attendants are left to deal with them.
Quite frankly, the next time I board and the bin above me is full, I'll ask the passenger near me if those are their items, and if they are not my own seatmates, I'll take those things out and hand them to the flight attendants. Among the things that can rile me is passengers who put their stuff up in the first open bin they pass and then mosey on down to the back of the plane.
LuckyLib
(6,825 posts)it goes free. Planning on using the overhead? $25 a pop.
JenniferJuniper
(4,517 posts)Those damn bins are half the problem....
spiderpig
(10,419 posts)We used to preboard bulkhead passengers, since they had no underseat storage and had to rely on overheads for their carryons. That stunt of people loading their junk in the forward bins and proceeding to their seats in 33F infuriates me.
Speaking of bins, I've been hit on the head 3 separate times by objects falling in the rush to reclaim stuff - once by one of the old-fashioned luggage trolleys and twice by bottles of booze! It was stuff passengers would cram in the bin and then force the cover shut. Kapow on landing.
chelsea0011
(10,115 posts)anything like the woman being assaulted (as in the United case) and the accusation from the male who threatened another person is that he almost hit a baby. Exactly, what does almost count as? I have no idea what transpired but anyone who flies knows that strollers (at least on any flight I have taken) get checked. The flight attendant probably said this to the passenger and either she ignored him or didn't understand as she may not speak English or it is her second language. What happened may come out. But making a hero of someone who threatened to harm someone else is truly foolish.
obamanut2012
(26,261 posts)Domestic airlines allow umbrella strollers -- which this was -- to be put into overhead bins. AA has admitted she was told to try and find room, and if not, it would be gate checked, hence the tag. She was traveling alone with two children.
Tony IS a hero -- people were scolded for not speaking up for Dao. The FA DID strike teh woman, and just missed the baby.
You and everyone else need to quit excusing the behavior of teh FA.
And, she can speak English, but is a native Spanish speaker.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)Much safer than carrying the baby. Even when the baby is travelling without a ticket parents are encouraged to bring the car seat and use that if seats are available. Otherwise it and the stroller are gate checked.
Same as it's been for decades.
obamanut2012
(26,261 posts)With the stroller, and try and find room overhead. If she couldn't, it would be gate checked. That is why it was tagged. The FA DID strike her. The FA DID threaten her and then "Tony." Tony did what people should have done when DR. Dao was attacked. He is why this is getting investigated.
The other passengers had no way of knowing what the gate agent told the woman.
I also wonder if her being a native Spanish speaker is part of this.
The victim-shaming about this is sickening.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)of new rules and complaining passengers, who are having to deal with extreme nonsense scrutiny for supposed security reasons.
Doesn't excuse this. But seems like there's something going on among the employees that comes from the top down.
Demsrule86
(68,992 posts)hurt a baby and his words escalated an already tense situation..she was allowed to proceed to the airplane with the stroller...thus, someone screwed up on the way down...or the flight attendant and I used that term loosely as this guy is a disaster, screwed up. American Airlines stepped up I hear and apologized, put her in first class and gave her a $1000.00 certificate...but don't make excuses for an employee who treated a paying customer so badly...he could have killed that baby and there is never an excuse for this sort of behavior.
obamanut2012
(26,261 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I think we've all had bad days at work... even brutal days that we've stressed out on. "And so on..."
Those days would never qualify for relevance if my actions mirrored his, only excuses. 
Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)not escalate it as he appears to do so in the video.
It may very well be that the mother was at fault in regards to having the stroller, but that doesn't change the flight attendant's behavior and the pilot also bears some responsibility for not de-escalating the situation as well.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Now that's how to diffuse a situation. No words, a smile, a gentle hand on the arm to guide the person one way, a nod of assurance.
LompocDem
(148 posts)this scene then he should be taken to task for his lack of maintaining control of this situation as a commanding officer. Having a crew member display this lack of control and hearing and seeing his actions and not immediately stepping in to take charge to deescalate the situation and not immediately reprimanding the male crew member in full view of all involved could have created a situation where injury could come to those who weren't directly involved.
To me it looked like he decided to speak directly to the crew member at the end of this clip as he turns right and goes out of sight. He should have done so as much sooner than he did. As any Captain of any vessel, whether commercial or private, should do.
That is what he should have done even if he had little knowledge of the facts leading to the incident he decided to observe rather than take charge of. (exception given for the need to keep the pilot safe for obvious reasons). I can understand his not putting himself in danger of being injured to the point of incapacity to fly but not exerting his command authority to the crew member that is obviously not in control is was, IMO, a dereliction of his duty as a commanding officer.
This is my opinion given by what I saw in this clip and my limited knowledge of commercial flight safety protocols.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)LompocDem
(148 posts)It could be that the pilot was restricted in his actions because of FAA or company regulations. He may have been suppressing his visceral response to preserve his position, who knows. Vids like this often spark outrage and social media can exacerbate the issue to the point of forcing the airline to take action that is protective of their profits rather than doing the right thing for all parties involved.
Having a resolute opinion on what we see in a short clip without proper context is not constructive and contrary to the critical thought process. IMO
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,393 posts)There is a chain of command on a plane.
The head flight attendant, whom I suspect was the woman trying to diffuse, is the boss of the cabin.
The Captain's job is to assess wits ultimately safe to depart... and to fly the plane. He's not going to jump in untill things get way out of control.
I'm sure that woman Flight Attendant could handle herself. And she did.
LompocDem
(148 posts)'I'm sure that woman Flight Attendant could handle herself. And she did.'
I would hope that her calm action and effort to defuse the situation is rewarded by AA. More info on the situation to determine whether the male passenger, who didn't actually challenge the out of control crew member with violence unless that crew member did the same to him is the issue that this lawsuit will be decided on. It's a felony to threaten a commercial flight crew member but the statement was 'You do that to me and I'll knock you flat' could, and probably will be his defense should the FAA or AA try to defend AAs employees actions.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)A mother crying for her baby's stroller back. The hostility from the male airline worker.
I guess the checkers or security weren't supposed to let the stroller on the plane because it's too big? Was that it?
Wow. That male passenger....a hero. But I was afraid he was going to get into a fight. Glad he didn't.
womanofthehills
(8,848 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Because she was foreign, maybe she didn't understand that she wasn't supposed to have that stroller on board. The airline provides smaller foldable strollers and such, because of size restrictions for carry-ons. The guy should have recognized that maybe she didn't understand why he was taking the stroller and that she'd get it back and would be provided a substitute foldable one.
The airline should've caught that before she got on, though. How did she board w/that thing, w/o someone stopping her?
But as far as carry-ons, people who fly know that there are strict requirements pertaining to carry-ons. That's for the benefit of the all the passengers. I'd love to take all my luggage on board for free, the other passengers be damned! But they won't allow it.
The airline ended up flying her to her destination for free, first class, I read.
red dog 1
(28,015 posts)I don't care how tough it is being a flight attendant; there is no excuse for that jackass doing what he did, and I hope the baby's mom sues American Airlines for six figures!
(Assuming she's allowed to file a lawsuit)
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I don't know if emotional trauma qualifies. Otherwise, we'd all have a case for a lawsuit after flying.
She was flown first class to her destination for free, and presumably got her stroller back. So hopefully her trip ended up going well. First class is very nice.
red dog 1
(28,015 posts)...the conduct leading to the emotional injury can be caused accidentally or intentionally."
The fact that the asshole flight attendant got so angry at the woman for attempting to put the stroller in the overhead compartment, that, in such an angry state of mind, he came very close to inflicting serious harm to both the baby and the mother.
There was no need for this jackass to have lost his temper like that....Period!
Imo, by not calmly and patiently advising the woman that she couldn't store the stroller in the overhead compartment, and possibly suggesting that she store it somewhere else instead, he could be liable for causing "emotional distress" to the woman to the extent that both he and his employer, American Airlines, could be found to be liable for damages sought in a civil lawsuit by the mother, if she so chose.
Letting her fly first class for free does not mitigate the fact that the jackass did come very close to seriously harming the baby, which is totally unacceptable, imo.
I'm not a lawyer, but this totally unprofessional and potentially dangerous behavior by the angry flight attendant seems to me to be to such a degree that the woman could, if she chose to, file and possibly win a lawsuit claiming severe emotional distress.
http://blogs.findlaw.com/common_law/2012/05/when-can-you-sue-for-emotional-distress.html
red dog 1
(28,015 posts)"he hit her."...That's not "emotional trauma"..that's "physical harm"..and as such might well be actionable in a civil lawsuit.
(My other reply to you concerns only the "emotional distress".experienced by the mother and her baby)
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I don't think you get damages for being hit, unless there's some physical harm. Damages for physical harm are for medical bills and treatment, maybe lost wages if you had to lose work. There is none of that here.
But you can get emotional damages, esp with a baby involved. That would be hard to get, though, without physical harm, and since the hit was a sideswipe and accidental. She would get something for the mental anguish of the baby and herself, though.
Thank goodness for everyone the baby wasn't hit. What was he thinking?
obamanut2012
(26,261 posts)
Xolodno
(6,428 posts)Charging for checked baggage and forcing everyone to cram as much as possible into the overhead bins. Not paying the staff until they are in the air, thus forcing them to try and get everyone on board and seated as fast as possible...often with bad results. Trying to cram every plane and not leaving a few seats over...just in case.
And of course, flyers, automatically booking the lowest fare when a more convenient one is only $20 bucks more. Search sites really need to add a "fare difference" calculator showing how much more a flight costs in comparison to the lowest listed. Bet a lot of people would change their habits.
Oh and as someone else on this thread pointed out, charge for the overhead bin, not checked baggage. But doubt that will fly since what they are trying to accomplish is reduce staff needed to load and unload the plane of luggage.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)I have been told on several occasions that there was no room in the over heads and they will gladly stow my bag underneath for no charge. I don't know, but I'm assuming that the flight attendant did not mean to hurt anyone. It's all about how situations are handled. A young mother with two young children is already stressed out. A flight attendant, perhaps on a long trip with many legs, can also be stressed. Not to mention we're all crammed into coach like sardines so the airlines can make more money. Shit like this hardly ever happens in first class. I don't want to see the attendant lose his job. Perhaps some time off would help and some training on how to handle stressful situations. I think we're all making a big deal for nothing.
womanofthehills
(8,848 posts)Someone who is fast to anger should not be working with the public. Sounds like he hit the women with the stroller while aggressively grabbing it away and just missed the baby.
Demsrule86
(68,992 posts)this tin pot little dictator decided to go after her (coward)...you can see what he is the way he answs the man who yells at him. He should be fired. If you can't deal with the public then get a different job.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I suspect she didn't understand why he was taking it and that she'd get it back. The airline also provides smaller, foldable strollers for in-flight use. Could also be she's not an experienced flyer.
She was struggling to fit the stroller in the overhead, but it wouldn't fit. But the airline should have caught the problem stroller before she boarded. We all know there are dimensions and strict rules about what we're allowed to take on board. That's for the benefit of all passengers and the smooth operation of the airline.
They should have gently explained to her the problem, assured her she'd get the stroller back, but that it's not allowed on board because it's not in compliance with the regulations. If possible, they should have given her a substitute, but at that last minute, it was probably too late to get one.
At a couple of points, my stuff is sure eyeballed for meeting regulations to board. There's even a cage right by the boarding line for you to put your carry-on in, to see if it meets the regulations, with a sign saying "If your carry-on doesn't fit, it can't go on board" or something.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,854 posts)
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)a belligerent place. The flight attendant should be fired immediately. Glad I do not fly.
obamanut2012
(26,261 posts)With the stroller. If she couldn't find room in the overheads, then they would store it. It was an umbrella stroller, and those are allowed in overheads. It was tagged in case she couldn't find room in the overhead and had to gate check it in the jetway.
The FA DID hit her with the stroller, fact. He DID narrowly, very narrowly, almost hit the baby she was carrying, fact.
I have zero children, but I am disgusted by the shaming of this woman on social media. This was not her fault.
The FA is a bully and has some anger issues, and should NOT work with the public. And, wtf was up with the useless pilot???
Also, I wonder if the woman being a native Spanish speaker has anything to do with this?
Good for Tony! People ranted about DR. Dao not being helped, and now complain about this woman being helped. UGH.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)1. It is the responsibility of the gate agent to make sure that special exception is relayed to the flight crew, since they can, will, and have been fined for knowingly accepting banned items in the overheads...
2. The captain probably didn't intervene because he arrived in the middle of the situation and didn't want to risk further escalation without knowing the whole story...
3. Mister Tough Guy passenger who threatened the FA (yes, he was out of line too) needs to get his block knocked into the middle of next week...
itcfish
(1,828 posts)n/t
