Finkface

So it now seems the woman was never actually hit with the stroller. Just 'nearly' hit her.

So we can put to rest all the assault talk and goose eggs on the forehead. While it does not excuse the FA's reaction to the male pax, it does, in light of the above post http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28223287-post523.html about her trying a similar stunt on another flight, pretty much nullify any sympathy I may have had for her. She was trying it on and didn't like that this crew didn't cave to her histrionics.

The woman has now retained the same lawyer as Dr. Dao, Thomas Demetrio. He was interviewed this morning on the "Today Show" and said she was not actually struck with the stroller, just that it was forcibly removed.

[I]"Demetrio said that the woman contacted him, and he also confirmed to the “Today Show” that neither the woman nor her baby were actually hit by the stroller."[/I]

http://www.fox25boston.com/news/tren...from/515564940
"Thomas Demetrio is now representing the mother who was boarding a recent American Airlines flight. The mother claims her stroller was forcibly taken from her, nearly hitting her and her child."

GUWonder

And how reliable is that message? The woman in the video doesn't look
so different from some women I've seen. And having twins isn't all that rare nowadays given how many people use IVF in a way that raises the odds of ending up with twins.

Unless the "acquaintance" of that "AA flight attendant friend" had checked out passenger names for this flight and another on the same itinerary or another, I don't really know what to make or that. And even if the woman in the video has a history of being a major drama queen and problem passenger, the AA FA in the video is the failed professional while the passengers in the video are not professional passengers.

That admission of not being hit by the stroller makes the AA passenger seem rather straight-forward and honest, since it's the kind of thing which means a lawsuit isn't likely to be as rich as it would be if there was a hit by the stroller.

pinniped

OK, dumb question. My kids are 10 and 13, and from what I can tell stroller technology has way high-tech in the past 7-8 years. People spend more now on 1 stroller than we did on all strollers and carseats combined.

My question is: what kind of stroller was this? Going back 8 years, there were two kinds: (1) a little umbrella-looking thing that folded down to the point where it fit in one hand. We always carried this kind onboard aircraft and stowed it in the overhead bin. (2) a larger contraption that folded flat, but was still a large bulky square thing that *always* was gate-checked.

There was no ambiguity about either kind: one was little and carried on easily. You could even slide it into the overhead bin on an RJ. The other would not fit in any overhead bin of any aircraft. Even folded, it was heavy and bulky and required two hands to lift.

There was no need for histrionics about either type: when we had the big stroller, it was always brought back up to the jetbridge as we deplaned. No biggie.

So I'm confused about the underlying issue, and I realize it may be my own ignorance about modern stroller technology. (Is there some middle-sized contraption now that can only fit in *some* overhead bins?)

Kevin AA

This has nothing to do with space per person -- unless you triple the seat pitch so that people can bring everything but the kitchen sink on board.

FWAAA

Various media sources have said that AA claims it was a "double-wide" stroller (she was traveling with twins). It probably was not compliant.

TWA884

As a lawyer, I can assure you that now that there is a law suit pending, American Airlines will thoroughly interview all the crew members of the flights that this woman has even taken on American. An incident of a woman with two small children tearing off the gate check tag, making a scene and demanding to take on board a full size stroller is not easily forgotten.

Kevin AA

FA's, like police officers, are expected to de-escalate situations, not try to make them worse. Most improper police shootings involve a victim who wasn't a perfect person, yet we still demand an investigation and prison time if necessary.

Same for FA's. If you get hit by a passenger, by all means, use self-defense. But dealing with a demanding passenger does not justify using physical force to get your point across.

Call another FA over, because 1) you might be wrong (which may be the case here with a stroller that can fold up tightly enough) and 2) it's much easier to get someone to comply when there's two members of the staff there rather than just one.

pinniped

For the earlier flight where she brought it onboard, was it stowed in the front cabinet? I'm still wondering how she pulled that off if it was a larger stroller.

I still don't get her fear of gate-checking it. We did this often with larger strollers and they always came right back to the jetbridge when we landed. I've never heard stories about strollers disappearing during this process. Airlines sometimes lose bags, but they don't seem to lose things when you're handing the item over *at* the airplane.

Not that this justifies the actions of the FA on the video. It sounds like a situation where nobody was thinking logically.

FWAAA

I don't get it, either, but perhaps the cultural differences combined with her pushy attitude contributed to this mess. Perhaps she is a real-life Argentinian version of Gloria (Colombian) from Modern Family.

Exactly. Stroller-smuggling passenger isn't the story (at least not for me). The real story here is the do-nothing captain watching a passenger get in the face of a flight attendant and then watching the FA come completely unhinged while doing nothing but leaning against the bulkhead. His only contribution is to help hold back the FA when it looks like the FA wants to punch Tony, Mr 2F.

That's the story.

AndyAA

This captain is likely great at flying an airplane though that isn't the only thing in the job description of a commercial airline pilot. These sorts of uncomfortable situations needs to be handled just as well as losing an engine on takeoff.

It might be a personality thing. Not everyone feels comfortable dealing with people in these challenging situations.

Lovethecabin

No doubt there is blame for both sides but a question - Since when are AA FAs so willing to lift and hoist, above their heads, anything belonging to a passenger? Let alone a SUV stroller?

At least 10 times over the past 5 years, I have seen FAs in first flat out deny aid to elderly passengers as it relates to placing small (not rollers) bags in the overhead bin. I remember because its always my husband who jumps to their aid and now he is training my son as well. (he has a soft spot for the elderly)

GUWonder

I'm sure about that. And I'm sure that every woman with twins making an issue about strollers at the gate or on the plane isn't the same woman as this one. So AA will have to hunt for records based on the passenger's names or other PNR stored items to find her AA travel history beyond that for just this flight.

Given the age of her children and the hassles and expenses of traveling alone with two kids of such age, I doubt that she has had that many incidents over strollers.

Annerk

News outlets often get the minor details wrong, even with direct quotes. The woman had an obvious injury on her forehead that based on the color was recent. I'm not sure that Faux news got it right.

Finkface

Her own lawyer said that she was not hit. He was interviewed this morning on the Today Show. Do you really think her own lawyer would get it wrong?

From my earlier post:
The woman has now retained the same lawyer as Dr. Dao, Thomas Demetrio. He was interviewed this morning on the "Today Show" and said she was not actually struck with the stroller, just that it was forcibly removed.

[I]"Demetrio said that the woman contacted him, and he also confirmed to the “Today Show” that neither the woman nor her baby were actually hit by the stroller."[/I]

http://www.fox25boston.com/news/tren...from/515564940
"Thomas Demetrio is now representing the mother who was boarding a recent American Airlines flight. The mother claims her stroller was forcibly taken from her, nearly hitting her and her child."

Lovethecabin

My son is long past the baby/toddler stage but I can speak for some friends, there are parents who will wait until the last possible moment to board because they don't want to deal with a entertaining a child(ren) who are seated during a long boarding process. In fact, many travel with children blogs/websites actually promote this a good practice.

We always boarded early, got settled and were prepared with distractions. No good can come from rushed transit to, at or thru an airport with little kids.