(CNN)American Airlines is investigating after a video surfaced on social media showing a confrontation between a passenger and a flight attendant aboard one of its flights.
The video, filmed by another passenger Friday, appears to be the aftermath of an incident during boarding of a flight from San Francisco to Dallas. It does not show what happened beforehand.
The incident comes two weeks after a United Airlines passenger was dragged from his seat and off a plane by Chicago aviation police. United was widely criticized on social media and by industry professionals for the conflicting statements it put out afterward, initially siding with its employees and appearing to blame the passenger.
Flight attendant: 'Hit me, hit me'
The video of the American Airlines encounter starts off with a woman sobbing as she holds a baby. "Just give me back my stroller please," she says tearfully.
A male passenger stands up and intervenes, apparently upset with how the woman's situation was handled. He tells the flight attendant, "Hey bud, hey bud. You do that to me, and I'll knock you flat." The flight attendant tells the male passenger to stay out of it, then later taunts him to "hit me, hit me ... bring it on."
From the video, it's unclear why the woman is distraught. Surain Adyanthaya, who posted the video to Facebook on Friday, said that before the footage, the flight attendant had "violently" taken the stroller, hitting the woman in the process and narrowly missing her baby.
Adyanthaya later posted the airline had "escorted the mother and her kids off the flight" and let the flight attendant back on.
'You almost hit that baby!'
Olivia Morgan was waiting to board when the incident happened, according to a report by CNN affiliate KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.
"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," Morgan told the TV station.
"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."
American says on its website that a customer can carry a small collapsible stroller, but it must be checked at the gate. Bigger strollers must be checked in at the ticket counter, the site says.
Airline quickly responds
The airline quickly responded to the incident, which occurred when the flight was about to take off. "We have seen the video and have already started an investigation to obtain the facts. What we see on this video does not reflect our values or how we care for our customers," 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."
American said it upgraded the woman to first class for the rest of her trip and the attendant has been "removed from duty" as it investigates.
"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 airline said. In the United incident, passenger David Dao suffered a concussion, a broken nose and lost two teeth, and plans to sue, according to his attorney.
The airline later apologized for the forcible removal of Dao, a 69-year-old physician, and offered compensation to those on the flight.
Poster Comment:
Hey Deckard, forget your hate-cop and anti-government movements. Stop with that small time stuff and immediately go after the airlines for the way they treat passengers. It’s the hot thing on social media right now, getting lots of hits. You need to jump in and make passenger rights and protection your new crusade. You will instantly become a social media star worldwide. Go for it, Sport. I’ll give you some “likes” and ask friends to do the same.
#1: Deckard To: Gatlin (#0)
Perhaps the little "male stewardess" was on his period and threw a hissy fit.
Deckard posted on 2017-04-22 19:54:45 Reply Private Reply
#2: Gatlin To: Deckard (#1)
Your remark is funny, but his actions were not.
He needs to have his ass kicked. ...
Gatlin posted on 2017-04-22 20:40:22 Reply Private Reply
#3: Hondo68 To: Gatlin, yukon ghey stewardess (#0)
Yukon got a job as a gay stewardess!
Hondo68 posted on 2017-04-22 21:18:19 Reply Private Reply
#4: Fred Mertz To: hondo68 (#3)
Poor guy.
Fred Mertz posted on 2017-04-22 21:32:17 Reply Private Reply
#5: goldilucky To: Gatlin (#0)
Since they didn't show the stroller, it is hard to comment at this time.
goldilucky posted on 2017-04-22 23:06:38 Reply Private Reply
#6: misterwhite To: goldilucky (#5)
In either case the stroller shouldn't be in the seating area.
Large ones are checked at the ticket counter and loaded with the luggage, and small ones are checked at the gate and stored up front.
My guess is that this passenger brought it with her into the seating area and attempted to store it in the overhead bin. The flight attendant told her that wasn't allowed and that he would store it up front. She argued. He removed the stroller from the overhead bin and bumped her with it when he took it down.
That part wasn't recorded because it was no big deal. People started recording when she got hysterical.
misterwhite posted on 2017-04-23 10:25:49 Reply Private Reply
#7: Gatlin To: misterwhite (#6)
This is all just too, too, logical …
Passengers simply don’t do the wrong thing.
Everything is always the establishment’s fault.
In this day and time ….
Gatlin posted on 2017-04-23 11:08:02 Reply Private Reply
#8: misterwhite To: Gatlin (#7)
You're right. The flight attendant ripped the baby from the stroller, gripped the stroller like a baseball bat and beat the poor woman senseless.
Or so they would have you believe. After all, it was United Airlines.
misterwhite posted on 2017-04-23 11:21:56 Reply Private Reply
#9: Tooconservative To: misterwhite (#6)
I wondered the same thing. So there has to be at least a little more to the story, no matter how bad the steward looks here.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-23 11:35:58 Reply Private Reply
#10: Tooconservative To: misterwhite (#8)
American Airlines. Unless you're being sarcastic.
This newer story with the baby is an answer to prayers for the United execs.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-23 11:36:38 Reply Private Reply
#11: misterwhite To: Tooconservative (#10)
No, I was being wrong. My bad.
misterwhite posted on 2017-04-23 11:39:36 Reply Private Reply
#12: misterwhite To: Tooconservative (#10)
I remember back when bad publicity for an airline meant that a plane crashed killing everyone on board.
Nowadays the airline suffers a simlar fate when a woman passenger is accidentally bumped by a stroller she shouldn't have brought on board to begin with.
misterwhite posted on 2017-04-23 11:46:19 Reply Private Reply
#13: Tooconservative To: misterwhite (#12)
And then the White Knight jumps out of his seat a few times. Initially, they reported that White Knight called Evil Steward a "rat bastard" (which I thought was hilarious) but, reviewing the video, I don't hear that clearly anywhere.
OTOH, the steward is such an ass that I have no sympathy for him, at least given what we saw in the only video available (so far).
Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-23 11:58:20 Reply Private Reply
#14: Tooconservative To: Deckard, Gatlin, Justified (#1)
It's interesting how you two lovebirds are ... singing such sweet harmony over the alleged Damsel In Distress.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-04-23 12:16:56 Reply Private Reply
#15: Deckard To: Tooconservative (#14)
Gatslime was being sarcastic - I wasn't.
Deckard posted on 2017-04-23 12:27:41 Reply Private Reply
#16: Gatlin To: Tooconservative (#14)
I read your link …
Gatlin posted on 2017-04-23 12:28:40 Reply Private Reply
#17: Gatlin To: Deckard (#15)
I have some chores to do.
You stick around and entertain everyone with your wonderful humorous wit and charming personality.
“Make their day!”
Gatlin posted on 2017-04-23 12:32:11 Reply Private Reply