Photo courtesy of Entrepreneur
A black family with a newborn baby was kicked off of an American Airlines flight on Sunday as they were returning home to Philadelphia from Charlotte, North Carolina.
On Sunday afternoon, Allan Ali and his partner, Kamia Hoilett, were asked to vacate the plane before departure after the viral video showed the couple having a brief, negative interaction with a white male passenger and a white female flight attendant – per The Grio.
According to The Shaderoom, Ali said the situation escalated when Hoilett held their newborn and stood up to let a man, seated in the same row, into his seat. Ali also stated that the man became verbally aggressive with the couple and said, “Y’all have to get up.”
While the couple tried to exit the row to let the male passenger in, the flight attendant blocked the walkway. When Hoilett asked if she could get some space to move, the airline employee replied, “Is this going to be a problem?”
Ali said the incident continued when the same flight attendant told Hoilett to sit down and buckle her seatbelt in what appeared to be in a “passive-aggressive tone.”
The two exchanged words, and Holliet told the flight attendant that she didn’t like being spoken to in that way, so the employee “stormed off” and reported the couple to the captain, who advised the flight attendants to escort the family from the flight.
In the now-viral video posted to Instagram, Hoilett is heard repeatedly saying, “I didn’t do anything.” Ali recaps the incident, saying that they were being asked to leave the flight with their child.
After departing the 1 p.m. flight, the couple spent hours in the airport before leaving Charlotte at 8:20 p.m.
American Airlines made a statement Tuesday afternoon that the company initiated an investigation into the incident and planned to reach out to Ali and the other involved passengers and employees, per The Grio.
“Our values demand that all customers are treated fairly and with respect, and we find the video posted by the family concerning,” the company said in an emailed statement. “This matter has our full attention, and we will take appropriate action as necessary.”
Ali and Holliet told The Shade Room that they believe the airline company mistreated them despite being kicked off the flight and departing on another one. The couple has also retained an attorney regarding the complaint.
The couple wasn’t the first to take legal action against the airline company. A Jewish couple from Brooklyn, New York, said they were forced to depart a flight in August after they “refused to place a bag containing a sacred prayer shawl on the floor.
According to the New York Post, Roberto and Elana Birman, who have been married for 52 years, carried a Tallit bag — a clear, 8.5 inch-by-8.5-inch plastic carrier — for Mr. Birman’s prayer book and shawl, which was placed in the overhead bin. A flight attendant to Miami approached the couple, threw the bag into his lap, and informed him that the bag had to go under the seat.
While stating his religious beliefs, Mr. Birman told the flight attendant that the items could not be placed on the floor, and the airline employee responded, “It doesn’t matter.” However, he and his wife refused, and Mrs. Birman compared the action to a Christian being asked to “throw a cross on the floor” where it could be stepped on.
“The pilot came over but didn’t speak to them, the Birmans said. Eventually, a ground crew member was called and urged them to follow him off the plane, they said.” The Birmans recently filed a suit against the airline, The New York Post reported.
“My clients were ejected from the flight based on the prejudices and complete lack of sensitivity of American Airlines employees for reasons wholly unrelated to security,” said their lawyer, Brad Gerstman. “The flight attendant and pilot’s conduct was as offensive as it was illogical.”
American Airlines is reportedly reviewing the Birmans’ suit and has not yet responded to the incident involving Ali and Hoilett.