Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer Terrell Davis accused United Airlines of “unfair treatment” after he was removed from a flight in mid-July.
Davis told reporters that he was arrested on a plane in front of his wife and children and that he felt deprived of his dignity.
“I was powerless. There was nothing I could do,” he said. CNN.
“If I wasn’t black, I don’t think I would have been handcuffed.”
The incident happened during a flight from Denver to Orange County, Calif. Davis recalled that he gave the flight attendant a quick “nudge” on the shoulder after the airline employee who asked for ice “just walked past our row” without “hearing or ignoring me.”
“I quietly reached back and patted him. [the attendant’s] Davis wrote that he “waved his arm to get his attention to ask for ice for his son.” Instagram July 15. “He yelled, ‘Don’t hit me,’ got off the cart and rushed toward the front of the plane. I was confused, as was the passenger in front of me who witnessed the exchange. I didn’t think anything of it other than that this employee was incredibly rude and that the accusation that I had hit him was patently false.”
Davis went on to say he thought that was the end of it until he was handcuffed and removed from the plane in front of his family after it landed, later claiming that he would not have been treated the same if he had not been black.
“If I wasn’t a black man, I wouldn’t have been handcuffed until I knew exactly what had happened,” Davis said. NBC News.
The news network also reported that the FBI confirmed that agents were responding to “allegations of violence.” United Airlines.
United Airlines told CNN that it had “removed” the flight attendant from duty while the airline reviews the issue.
“This is clearly not the travel experience we strive to provide. We have contacted Mr Davis’ team and apologised,” the airline said.
About two weeks later, Davis said he received a letter from United Airlines barring him from flying with the airline during the investigation.
of letter A letter from United Airlines was posted to Davis’ Instagram account on Tuesday, saying the airline’s policy is to “delay or deny boarding to any guest whose behavior or condition poses a risk to the safety of our guests and employees.”
The statement added: “Based on the nature of the incident reported to have occurred on UA Flight 1061 on July 13, 2024, this serves as notice that you will not be permitted to fly on any regional airline operating as United Airlines or United Express pending a review of the incident by United Airlines’ Passenger Incident Review Board.”
Davis added in the caption of his Instagram post that he had been placed on United’s “no-fly list” but was released after it was determined he had done nothing wrong.
He added, “My family and I will continue to have difficult conversations with my children, but I will continue to fight for what is right for all passengers. [United]”
“We apologise for the experience Mr Davis experienced and will continue to evaluate our response to incidents such as this.”
NBC News also reported that on Tuesday, the day Davis’ Instagram post was published, United Airlines lifted its travel ban on Davis and fired the flight attendant: “Ms. Davis received the letter the day after the incident, which was reported by a flight attendant not employed by United Airlines. The day after the letter was sent, we spoke with Ms. Davis’ team which has since rescinded it. We apologize for Ms. Davis’ experience and continue to evaluate our response to incidents such as these with the safety of our customers and crew as our number one priority.”
But the ordeal isn’t over yet, according to Davis’ lawyers at Stinner, Gould, Grieco & Hensley. Instagram United claim they did not contact the company about removing Davis from the provisionally suspended list.
“United Airlines claims that this information has already been communicated to Mr. Davis’ family through his attorney, which is patently false,” the statement said. “We continue to be disappointed by the inappropriate and disrespectful handling of this horrific incident by United Airlines’ public relations and legal teams.”
The statement also called for a “thorough review” of United’s “leadership”, claiming that the airline had “attempted to discredit the timeline of events”.
United Airlines told The BlazeNews the day after Davis’ letter was sent, airline officials met with Davis’ legal team and the ban was lifted.
“We apologise for the experience Mr Davis experienced and continue to evaluate our response to incidents such as these, with the safety of our guests and crew being our number one priority,” the spokesperson said, declining to be named.
According to United’s own timeline, the airline not only contacted Davis’ legal team the day after sending the initial letter, but also “contacted” Davis’ legal team again the day after that about the letter being rescinded.
Lynn Smith, a spokesperson for Stinner Gould Grieco Hensley, provided the same statement to BlazeNews via the firm’s Instagram page, but added that United Airlines “falsely asserted” that “Mr. Stinner had been informed that the travel ban had been lifted.”
Parker Stinner He is the founder and managing partner of the law firm.
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