The man who defended a mother against an American Airlines flight attendant is speaking up about the controversial incident. Tony Fierro discloses the real reason he chose to call out the airline staff during a tense moment inside the plane last Friday, April 21.
Fierro witnessed the American Airlines flight attendant upsetting the mother with a baby in her arms. They were discussing a stroller and passengers saw the flight attendant grabbing this hard while nearly hitting the baby.
"That's what just fired me up, so that was it," Fierro said, as per People. Fierro stood up and confronted the flight attendant for nearly hitting the baby and they exchanged heated words. The captain pacified the fight and the airlines issued a statement after a video went viral.
"The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care," American Airlines management said in its released statement, as per Telegraph. "In short, we are disappointed by these actions." The airline suspended the said employee.
Fierro is a Texas native who was on his way home from a San Francisco trip. He works as the president of K&S Insurance Agency and heads the Crosspoint Community Church, as per Opposing Views.
The woman he defended was a foreigner who understood and spoke English, according to other witnesses. The Argentinian mother apparently forgot to check in her baby's stroller so she looked for a cabin space to store it when she encountered the flight attendant.
As they discussed airline rules regarding strollers, the flight attendant took the equipment. One witness said the employee might have accidentally grabbed too violently, thus nearly hitting the baby. Some viewers of the video, however, observed the mother's cries appeared exaggerated and fake, as per Mom.Me.
Meanwhile, Bob Ross of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said facts about what happened were incomplete. He appealed to the public to hold off any judgments. "All passengers deserve to be treated with respect. We also must assure that our flight attendants are treated respectfully and safely on board," he said, as per Inc.
