Summary
- American Airlines apologizes to passenger suspected of trafficking his own children, addressing concerns directly.
- Flight attendant’s concerns about unresponsive biracial children led to police questioning upon arrival at LAX.
- Passenger starts a petition for mandatory ID checks for children to prevent similar situations and discourage traffickers.
American Airlines has apologized to David Ryan Harris, a passenger from last month’s flight who was suspected of trafficking his own children. Harris was traveling to Los Angeles (LAX) with his two biracial children when a flight attendant apparently felt suspicious of human trafficking.
Harris and his family were confronted by the airline personnel and law enforcement agents upon arrival at LAX. The airline issued an apology statement and also contacted the customer to directly address the concerns.
The incident
Passenger David Ryan Harris was traveling on an AA flight from Atlanta (ATL) to LAX when the flight attendant showed concern about his children while interacting with them. Harris’ biracial children were unresponsive to the flight attendant when they were asked their names.
Photo: Philip Pilosian/Shutterstock.
Upon landing at LAX, the family, including children, were questioned by the police. Harris showed his disappointment by saying that these inquiries can be handled during check-in and while passing through airport security, and not during the flight.
American Airlines issues an apology
The airline has issued a statement apologizing for the misunderstanding that may have occurred onboard. Simple Flying got in touch with the media team at AA, and they responded in an email statement,
“At American, the safety and security of our customers and team members are our top priorities. We strive to create a positive, welcoming environment for everyone who travels with us and apologize for any misunderstanding that may have occurred. A member of our team has reached out to the customer to learn more about their experience and address their concerns.”
Meanwhile, Harris put the details of his communication with the airline on his social media account (Instagram) concerning the incident. According to Harris’s post, AA issued a statement stating,
“To summarize our investigation….we and our flight attendant realized that our policies regarding suspected human trafficking were not followed, and through coaching and counseling … our flight attendant realizes that their interaction and observations did NOT meet the criteria that human trafficking was taking place.
our flight attendant in question wanted to make sure that you were aware that they sincerely offer a heartfelt apology to you and your family for their actions, and the results that their actions generated.”
Photo: Dallas Fort Worth.
Harris appreciated that the airline had reached out to him directly and apologized. While Harris has accepted the airline’s apology, he hopes to bring a change in how passengers with young children are treated.
He intends to start a petition for mandatory ID checks for children so people in similar situation do not face what he had to. Harris states in his social media post,
“I’ve chosen to move forward from this event in a meaningful way by starting a petition to implement mandatory ID checks for children traveling with parents. I think it would go a long way toward discouraging traffickers from using commercial air travel as a cover. I think it removes the onus from flight attendants to have to make determinations based on conjecture, no matter how well intentioned.”
What are your thoughts about the incident involving David Ryan Harris and his family onboard an American Airlines flight? Tell us in the comments section.