American Airlines has apologized to the Black father who was accused of kidnapping his own children by an airline employee.
On September 15, songwriter David Ryan Harris was disembarking from a flight to Los Angeles, with his two biracial sons, when he was stopped at the jetway by an airline employee and four police officers.
In a statement to The Messenger, American Airlines said that they “strive to create a positive, welcoming environment for everyone who travels with us and apologize for any misunderstanding that may have occurred.”
Frustrated by the airline’s initial response, Harris had shared the story to his 80,000 Instagram followers in a series of posts in the weeks following the incident.
“Apparently, a flight attendant had called ahead with some sort of concern that perhaps my mixed children weren’t my children, because they were unresponsive during an interaction with her,” Harris said in a September 23 Instagram post.
Harris added that the interaction was brief and that one of his children is “pretty shy.” Additionally, Harris said that the kids were tired from waking up early for their flight.
Harris was questioned by the police and received no apology following the interrogation. American Airlines offered him 10,000 frequent flier miles and assured the musician that they would launch an investigation.
“But you get 50,000 if you open an AA card, so it’s kind of insulting. But, you know, I took the miles, and I was just like, I’ll just make a mental note that this is kind of trash,” Harris said.
On Tuesday, Harris shared a statement from the airline through his Instagram account, along with his response.
The airline said that they “realized that our policies regarding suspected human trafficking were not followed … 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.”
Harris said that he applauded the airline’s response and he wanted the flight attendant to know that he “wholeheartedly” accepted and appreciated her apology.