A Black family on a recent American Airlines flight says they have plans to take legal action against the company after being kicked off the flight while traveling with their newborn baby.
Allan Ali and his partner Kamia Hoilett were asked to deboard the plane after a verbal altercation with a white co-passenger and a white flight attendant.
In a now-viral video circulating on social media, the couple told the Shaderoom the altercation began shortly after the couple stood up to make room for their co-passenger before he aggressively told them, “Y’all have to get up.”
As they were trying to get up and exit the row to let him in, they were then blocked by a flight attendant standing there. When Ms. Hoilett asked for space, the flight attendant asked her, “Is this going to be a problem?”
The flight attendant went on asking Hoilett to sit down and told her to fasten her seatbelt in a “passive-aggressive tone,” she told The Grio.
That’s when things took a turn for the worse.
Hoilett expressed her concerns with the flight attendant’s tone and told her she didn’t like how she spoke to her, which triggered the airline employee.
The flight attendant told the captain, who later asked the family to be removed from the flight with their newborn right before departure.
The couple, traveling to Philly, was booked on another flight that evening from Charlotte.
Ali says he has full intentions to file an official complaint against what he calls the unfair treatment they received on the flight.
In a statement to Travel Noire, American Airlines said:
“We are actively looking into an incident involving a family traveling with us from CLT to PHL on Sunday, Dec. 5. Our values demand that all customers are treated fairly and with respect, and we find the video posted by the family concerning. We have reached out to the customers involved to understand their experience, and are seeking additional information from other passengers on board and team members who were present. This matter has our full attention, and we will take appropriate action as necessary.”