Black couple plans to sue American Airlines over incident in viral video

Not-so-friendly skies…

Source: Drew Angerer / Getty

Taking an airplane to get where you need to go quickly has become quite a chore over the past couple of years. Between COVID-19 protocol and people generally being complete and utter jackasses when they board planes, it is increasingly more difficult to fly in peace. With that said, a viral video is circulating the internet that shows a Black couple being kicked off of a flight after some uppity flight attendant with way too much self-confidence acted rudely before takeoff.

According to The Grio, Allan Ali and his partner, Kamia Hoilett, were en route to their home of Philadelphia from Charlotte, North Carolina on an American Airlines flight this past Sunday. The Shade Room spoke to the couple who explained that things first began to go left when they stood up to allow a passenger to get to his seat in their row. “Y’all have to get up,” the man allegedly said.

Upon attempting to exit the row, things ticked up another notch again when a flight attendant was blocking the path and asked Ali and Hoilett, “Is this going to be a problem?”

Clearly, the white male passenger and the white male flight attendant on this plane have lost their minds speaking to people in such a manner. However, things finally reached a head when the attendant “passively-aggressively” told Hoilett to “sit down and buckle your seatbelt” before storming off to tell lies to the captain of the plane.

That’s when this happened…

American Airlines has released the following statement regarding the incident:

“Our values demand that all customers are treated fairly and with respect, and we find the video posted by the family concerning,” the company said in an emailed statement. “This matter has our full attention and we will take appropriate action as necessary.”

Ali and Hoilett told TSR they are retaining an attorney and plan to seek damages from American for their shoddy treatment.