A video has emerged of the aftermath of an incident in which a mother was allegedly hit in the face with a pram while boarding an American Airlines plane.
The clip shows an American Airlines employees challenging a passenger to “come on, hit me” during the altercation on a flight from San Francisco to Dallas.
A passenger who filmed the incident said on Facebook that the pram struck the woman as a flight attendant roughly yanked it away from her while people were boarding.
Another traveller can be heard saying in the video, “He smacked her in the face with the stroller.”
The passenger, Surain Adyanthaya, posted the video with the caption: “OMG! AA flight attendant violently took a stroller from a lady with her baby on my flight, hitting her and just missing the baby. Then he tried to fight a passenger who stood up for her.”
ABC reported that the mother, who is reportedly Argentinian, may not have understood why her stroller was taken from her.
American Airlines issued a statement soon after flight 591 landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Friday, confirming that it was investigating the incident that allegedly happened after a stroller struck a mother in the face.
In a statement, the airline said: “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. We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident.
“We are making sure all of her family’s needs are being met while she is in our care. After electing to take another flight, we are taking special care of her and her family and upgrading them to first class for the remainder of their international trip.
“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 American team member has been removed from duty while we immediately investigate this incident.”