Final month, singer-songwriter David Ryan Harris was accused of human trafficking whereas on an American Airways flight along with his two biracial youngsters.
Based on an Instagram publish that Harris shared, he and his two sons have been stopped by an airline worker and 4 law enforcement officials on Sept. 15 upon touchdown in Los Angeles. Following Harris’ social media posts in regards to the incident, American Airways reached out to the daddy immediately, along with providing him 10,000 frequent flyer miles as a comfort, a press release he additionally shared on his Instagram web page.
“To summarize our investigation … we and our flight attendant realized that our insurance policies relating to suspected human trafficking weren’t adopted, and thru teaching and counseling … our flight attendant realizes that their interplay and observations did NOT meet the standards that human trafficking was going down,” mentioned the airline in its assertion to Harris. “Our flight attendant in query wished to just be sure you have been conscious that they sincerely supply a heartfelt apology to you and your loved ones for his or her actions and the outcomes that their actions generated.”
Although Harris applauded American Airways for not solely reaching out but additionally conducting an investigation and doubtlessly reviewing its insurance policies, this isn’t the primary time an incident like this has occurred. As theGrio beforehand reported in August, a white mom pursued authorized motion towards Southwest Airways after an worker accused her of trafficking her biracial youngster.
When Mary MacCarthy and her daughter, Moira, have been touring for a household funeral, MacCarthy claims {that a} Southwest worker reported her to Denver police for attainable human trafficking due to “the totally different coloration of her daughter’s pores and skin from her personal.”
Whereas Southwest Airways determined not touch upon the MacCarthy incident, American Airways shared an extra assertion with Individuals journal addressing what occurred to Harris and his household.
“At American, the protection and safety of our prospects and group members are our high priorities,” mentioned American Airways in a press release, per Individuals. “We try to create a constructive, welcoming atmosphere for everybody who travels with us and apologize for any misunderstanding that will have occurred.”
Simply as Harris shared the airline’s direct assertion to him, he shared his closing ideas on the state of affairs in the identical Instagram publish.
“All I used to be in search of was an apology and/or an evidence of coverage,” he wrote. “From the start, I didn’t (and nonetheless don’t) assume {that a} sluggish or tentative response from a 7-year-old on an early morning flight ought to be sufficient standards to have the authorities known as. I’ve by no means begrudged the crimson flag, I’ve all the time begrudged the obvious lack of diligence on the a part of the flight attendant.”
“I nonetheless, very a lot assume that non response from the airline smacks of company conceitedness at worse and a gross undervaluing of consumers at finest,” Harris famous. “That I needed to resort to shaming the airways to get a response in any respect speaks to a normal lack of a significant customer support equipment.”
All through the complete state of affairs, his largest considerations have been targeted on the airways’ insurance policies about trafficking. In a sequence of movies posted in regards to the incident, Harris shared his ideas on how the state of affairs was dealt with. Believing American Airways’ workers ought to have extra info earlier than contacting regulation officers, Harris introduced a plan to assist implement change.
“This has been a teachable second for all concerned,” he concluded. “I’ve chosen to maneuver ahead from this occasion in a significant approach by beginning a petition to implement obligatory ID checks for kids touring with dad and mom. I believe it might go a great distance towards discouraging traffickers from utilizing business air journey as a canopy. I believe it removes the onus from flight attendants to should make determinations primarily based on conjecture, regardless of how nicely intentioned. If the problem of kid trafficking is of significance to you, head over to davidryanharris.com and signal the change.org petition.”
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