American Airlines suspends flight attendant for clash with passengers

SAN FRANCISCO — American Airlines landed in the hot seat last Friday after a flight attendant went full rage on a young mother, then got into a screaming match with another passenger. The woman boarded the Dallas-bound flight at San Francisco International Airport carrying a stroller, which wasn’t allowed in the cabin, Dallas-based ABC-affiliate WFAA reported. Witnesses reported seeing a male flight attendant violently yank the stroller away, hitting the woman’s head and barely missing her twin babies. A video shot during the aftermath shows the woman at the front of the plane, crying and asking another flight attendant to give her stroller back, while the pilot looks on. As she’s being consoled, a male passenger stands up and asks for the aggressive employee’s name. When the attendant shows shows up moments later, the passenger is heard telling him off, but is immediately warned to stay out of it. The man jumps out of his seat to confront the attendant, who repeatedly taunts him to try and deal a hit. The two nearly come to blows, but luckily, someone else intervenes. American Airlines has been very apologetic about the incident, suspending the flight attendant and upgrading the mother and her children to first class on another flight. Reactions to this latest airline drama have been mixed, but the airline has emerged mostly unscathed. Their response to the incident has been hailed effective damage control, and stands in stark contrast to the PR nightmare that befell United Airlines after a passenger was dragged off one of their planes by security personnel just two weeks ago.