A Boston woman is pursuing legal action against American Airlines over claims that she was unfairly booted from a flight from Atlanta to New York over the summer following yet another incident involving a stroller.
According to the New York Daily News, 24-year-old Briana Williams and her 4-month-old baby were removed from the August 21 flight to LaGuardia Airport during a long delay after she refused to exit the plane without her stroller, which was checked at the gate.
Williams and witnesses said the pilot became "disgruntled and aggressive" before calling the police to escort her off the flight. The removal meant that she was forced to spend the night in the airport without a change of clothes for her daughter while other passengers boarded a flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
American acknowledged the crew's behavior "deviated from standard" and offered Williams 25,000 flying miles as compensation. However, she declined the offer and now joins a growing list of African-American travelers seeking airline policy change.
"This type of unregulated discretion is a segue into discriminatory policy," Williams told the Daily News.
"The pilot put me in a potentially dangerous situation with law enforcement as a young, black woman, saying that I was a 'threat,'" she added. "This type of rhetoric paralyzes the African-American community, and I want to ensure that policies are put in place that regulate the pilot's discretionary abilities."
Williams' complaint comes just days after civil rights activist Tamika Mallory accused an American pilot of discrimination and wrongfully removing her from a flight in Miami. Williams, who is also a Harvard Law student, said that hearing Mallory's story encouraged her to come forward.
The Daily News reported that Mallory may file her own lawsuit against the airline or join a pending complaint filed by NAACP North Carolina branch President, Rev. William Barber II, who was kicked off of an American flight last year.
As the disturbing claims pile up, American has remained steadfast that it has zero tolerance for discrimination.
"From the team members we hire to the customers we serve, inclusion and diversity is a way of life at American," airline spokesman Ross Feinstein said in a statement. "Every day, our team members work to make American a place where people of all generations, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religious affiliations and backgrounds feel welcome and valued."
"All of our team members are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds and we are committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us."
READMORE]READ MORE: Delta Apologizes for Hushing National Anthem[/READMORE]
Allegations of discrimination haven't been limited to American. Delta Air Lines has also come under fire in recent months and ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines was recently accused of discriminating against its own flight attendants.
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