A Black family is planning to take legal action after they were kicked off from an American Airlines flight with an infant.
Allan Ali, his partner Kamia Hoilett and their seven-week-old baby were on a plane headed from North Carolina to their hometown of Philadelphia on Sunday (Dec. 5), when they were approached by a man, whose seat was assigned in the same row. “Y’all have to get up,” Ali recalled the man saying. The couple eventually stood up to let the man in but was blocked by a flight attendant, who was in their way. When Hoilett asked for some space to move, the airline official rudely asked, “Is this going to be a problem?” before instructing her to sit down and buckle her seatbelt in a “passive-aggressive tone.”
Hoilett expressed her concerns to the attendant, who allegedly stormed off and reported the incident to the captain. Moments later, the couple was asked to leave the flight. Ali, who had been capturing parts of the encounter, nearly got his phone knocked out by an attendant and was asked to stop recording.
“I just want this to be known, that she has a newborn [and] you’re putting her off the plane due to the negligence and unprofessionalism of one of your staff members,” Ali is heard saying in the footage.“If we are treated unfairly, should we take this? We paid to be on this flight. This is my seven-week-old daughter being mistreated…Somebody who saw this or heard this, I hope you speak up because it’s wrong.”
The couple’s luggage was then taken off the overhead compartment, and they were removed from the plane. They boarded an evening plane to their Philly home hours later. An investigation into the incident is now underway.
“Our values demand that all customers are treated fairly and with respect, and we find the video posted by the family concerning,” the American Airlines company said in a statement. “This matter has our full attention, and we will take appropriate action as necessary.”
See Ali’s posts about the incident below.