American Airlines employee is suspended after row on plane

SAN FRANCISCO // American Airlines has suspended an employee after a video showed an altercation on one of its planes involving crew, several passengers and a distressed woman carrying a young child.

An employee of the airline grabbed a pushchair from the woman, hitting her with it and just missing her child, Facebook user Surain Adyanthaya said in a post with the video he put on the site on Friday. Less than two weeks ago, a 69-year-old doctor, David Dao, was taken to hospital for treatment after Chicago aviation police dragged him from a United Airlines plane, sparking international outrage and a public relations nightmare for the carrier.

American was investigating Friday’s incident, which happened on Flight 591 from San Francisco to Dallas before the plane took off, Leslie Scott, an airline spokeswoman said.

The incident started over a dispute as to whether the woman could take her pushchair on the flight, Ms Scott said.

“We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident,” the airline said. The woman and her family were upgraded to first class for the remainder of their international trip, it said.