Instagram Allan Ali
Allan Ali and Kamia Hoilett are two Black parents who were kicked off an American Airlines plane, and their video conversation with a flight attendant has gone viral.
They maintain that they did nothing wrong, and Hoilett was holding an infant in the viral video, which you can see later in this article. In a video posted to Instagram, Ali wrote, “Today could’ve been avoided with a little human decency and compassion…. I ask you had my queen not been black… would this have occurred. The answer is unequivocally no! @americanair we need answers! Please continue to share we need justice!!!”
Ali’s Instagram page describes him as a photographer from Philadelphia. “@americanair your staff is absolutely disrespectful!!!! Kicked a new mother and our 7 week old baby off the plane for absolutely nothing!!!! We are coming for them this is absolutely unacceptable!!!!! Please share!!!!! We need answers!!!!!! I need answers asap!!!!!!” Ali also wrote.
American Airlines told The Grio, “Our values demand that all customers are treated fairly and with respect, and we find the video posted by the family concerning. This matter has our full attention and we will take appropriate action as necessary.” The company said the incident is under investigation.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Video Shows the Woman With the Infant Trying to Reason With the American Airlines Flight Attendant
The video shows Hoilett trying to reason with the flight attendant.
“She told me I needed to sit down and put my seat belt on, fine. She said is there going to be a problem. I didn’t get aggressive to her. The one man who said I got aggressive wasn’t even there. He was all the way in the back. I didn’t do anything,” she says.
The flight attendant responds, “I wasn’t here. I wasn’t saying you did. The captain has made that request. I don’t have the override over that.”
“How can the captain make a request when he didn’t see…I didn’t do anything. No one did anything,” says Hoilett.
“Do you have your belongings and can you just get them?” the flight attendant said.
“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,” says Ali.
A flight attendant said, “Put the video away.”
Ali responded, “I don’t have to do anything. If we were treated unfairly, should we take that?”
“It’s wrong,” he says, raising his voice, trying to explain what happened. “It is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. You should be ashamed of yourself….We’re not fools, we’re educated, masters’, degrees, we’re working hard.” He then gets in a verbal exchange with a man off camera.
Ali Has Spoken Out About the Incident & Is Planning to Sue
According to the Shade Room, “December is one of the busiest times of the year, and as we approach Christmas, it’s not unusual for the airports to be complete, as several travelers are flying through the country. Unfortunately for #AllanAli, his partner #KamiaHoilett, and their 7-week old daughter, they got more than they bargained for while traveling on Sunday.”
The Shade Room continues, “The family was kicked off an American Airlines flight from Charlotte, NC, around 1 pm as they were headed back home to Philly. In a now-viral video, Kamia holds her daughter while her family is being forced off the plane, which upset many people.”
The Shade Room conducted an interview with Ali. “He explained it began when he and his partner got out of their seats,” the site wrote on Instagram.
In the interview with the Shade Room, Ali said a man who was trying to get to his seat in their row told them aggressively, “Y’all have to get up.” They said a flight attendant was blocking their way and, when asked to move, said,“Is this going to be a problem?”
The Shade Room explained that, according to Ali, “the situation escalated when the flight attendant became rude and told Kamia to ‘Sit down and buckle your seat’ in a passive-aggressive tone, according to Allan. This prompted Kamia to explain she didn’t like the manner she was being talked to because she isn’t a child, and that’s when the flight attendant stormed off and reported the issue to the captain.”
They were put on the next flight, the site says, but are planning to sue the airline.
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