United Apologizes After Passenger Cuffed

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Key Takeaways:

  • NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis was wrongly accused by a United Airlines flight attendant of "hitting" him after lightly tapping his arm to get attention for his son.
  • Despite his explanation, Davis was cuffed by six police officers upon arrival and removed from the flight.
  • United Airlines has apologized to Davis for the experience and suspended the flight attendant involved while they review the matter.
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United Airlines says it has apologized to a passenger and suspended the flight attendant at the bottom of the mess. The passenger said he tapped a flight attendant lightly on the arm to get his attention and the FA accused him of hitting him. It’s not clear what influence the fact that the passenger was NFL Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis had on that decision. “This is clearly not the kind of travel experience we strive to provide, and we have reached out to Mr. Davis’s team to apologize,” United said in a statement. “We have removed the flight attendant from duty while we closely review this matter.”

Davis said in widely distributed social media posts that he was traveling with his wife and three kids when his son asked the FA for ice. Davis said he tapped the attendant lightly on the arm and he turned around and shouted, “Don’t hit me.” Davis thought that was the end of it until the plane got to the gate and the captain told passengers to remain in their seats. Six police officers boarded and cuffed the Denver Broncos star before leading him away.

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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