Boston Woman Claims She Was Kicked Off American Airlines Flight Over Stroller Incident

A Boston mother claims she and her baby were kicked off an American Airlines flight from Atlanta to New York after asking that her stroller be returned following a cancellation. The incident reportedly occurred following an air traffic control delay of more than five hours.

Briana Williams, 24, explained the story to the New York Daily News in an article published Wednesday. She claimed that the Aug. 21 incident escalated after she refused to leave the aircraft without her stroller after the airline canceled her flight. After police became involved, Williams claims she and her 4-month-old daughter were forced to sleep in the airport overnight to await another flight rather than board an earlier replacement flight with her fellow passengers.

The airline confirmed the incident in a statement to International Business Times.

“The flight to New York LaGuardia (LGA) canceled, and all passengers were requested to deplane. At that time, Ms. Williams refused to deplane with all other passengers, and law enforcement was requested,” the airline told IBT. “At the gate, later that evening, the flight was reinstated, but would fly to New York John F. Kennedy (JFK). It was determined by our team members to be in the best interest of everyone involved that she be rebooked on the next flight to New York (LGA) the next morning.”

Williams, a Harvard Law student, told the Daily News about the incident after learning about a similar story involving American Airlines and New York activist Tamika Mallory, who like Williams is black.

Williams plans to pursue legal action for the alleged mistreatment by the airline. During the incident, during which she claimed the pilot became “very disgruntled and aggressive,” Williams said she remained calm.

“The pilot put me in a potentially dangerous situation with law enforcement as a young, black woman, saying that I was a ‘threat,’” she said. “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.”

The airline told IBT that it does “not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”

“From the team members we hire to the customers we serve, inclusion and diversity is a way of life at American,” American Airlines said. “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 — which includes our gate agents, pilots and flight attendants — 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.”

Williams was offered 25,000 travel points worth of round-trip flights but told the Daily News she declined the offer.

“This type of unregulated discretion is a segue into discriminatory policy,” Williams said.