Sobbing mother video raises controversy for American Air

Washington

LESS than two weeks after United Airlines prompted a public relations crisis for dragging a passenger from his seat on an overbooked flight, rival American Airlines is being buffeted by its own controversy.

The airline said on Saturday that it is probing the video of a flight attendant angrily confronting a passenger who had come to the defence of a sobbing woman with a baby in her arms.

The viral video, filmed by another passenger, shows a distraught mother carrying her baby boarding the plane moments after the flight attendant had apparently forcibly taken a stroller from her, with other passengers registering shock. "We have seen the video and have already started an investigation to obtain the facts," American Airlines said in an e-mail to AFP. "The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care." The incident on the plane - scheduled to fly from San Francisco to Dallas - was filmed by Surain Adyanthaya, who posted the video to her Facebook account on Friday. The video does not show the first part of the incident, and beg…