A black couple traveling onboard an American Airlines flight with their newborn was asked to leave the flight following an altercation with a white male. Philadelphia residents Allan Ali and Kamia Hoilett were traveling with their 7-week old baby in an American Airlines flight bound from Charlotte, NC, to Philadelphia, on Sunday, December 5, when they were asked to leave the flight. A now-viral video of the incident showed the couple was asked to leave after an altercation with a white male passenger and a white flight attendant.
Ali, speaking to TheShadeRoom, noted that the altercation took place when he and his partner, who was holding their baby, stood up to let a man pass through them and reach his seat, which was in their row. The man, according to Ali, aggressively asked the couple to stand up. Ali then said that when they tried to exit the row to let the man in, a flight attendant blocked their way.
'Is this going to be a problem?'
Ali further said that when they tried to explain the situation to the flight attendant and asked her for space, she asked them if this is going to be a problem and ordered Kamila to sit down and buckle her seatbelt in 'a passive-aggressive tone.' When Kamila told the airline employee that she didn't approve of the manner in which she spoke to her, the attendant 'stormed off' and reported the incident to the captain. The captain then allegedly ordered the flight attendants to ask the family to leave the flight. The couple had to ultimately leave the flight.
'Racial discrimination'
Ali also posted a brief video of the altercation on his Instagram handle calling upon American Airlines claiming that they were discriminated against on the basis of race. "I ask you had my queen not been black... would this have occurred. The answer is unequivocally no!" he wrote. American Airlines, on the other hand, told the Grio that they are investigating the incident. "This matter has our full attention and we will take appropriate action as necessary," the statement said.
The couple is now planning legal action against the airlines, the details of which are not currently known.
