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American Airlines has issued a groveling apology to musician David Ryan Harris after a flight attendant accused him of trafficking his biracial children.
Harris, who has performed with John Mayer, took to Instagram on September 23 and said an airline employee and four agents were waiting for him and his two sons at LAX after his flight from Atlanta.
“Apparently a flight attendant had called ahead with the concern that my mixed children might not be my children because they were unresponsive during an interaction with her,” Harris said.
American Airlines said Wednesday: “To summarize our investigation… we and our flight attendant realized that our policies regarding suspected human trafficking were not being followed through coaching and counseling.
“Our flight attendant realized that their interaction and observation did NOT meet the criteria for human trafficking.
American Airlines issued an apologetic statement to Harris after one of their flight attendants accused him of trafficking his own children
Harris, who has performed with John Mayer and The Dave Matthews, took to Instagram on September 23 and said an airline employee and four officers were waiting for him and his two sons at LAX after his flight from Atlanta
Harris pictured with his youngest son Hendrix on his Instagram page
“Our flight attendant in question wanted to make sure you were aware that they sincerely apologize to you and your family for their actions and the results their actions caused.”
In response to their apology, the singer ended his post with “this was a teachable moment for everyone involved” and appreciated the apology.
He continued, “From the beginning, I didn’t think (and I still don’t think) that a slow or cautious reaction by a seven-year-old on an early morning flight should be a sufficient criterion for the authorities to be called.”
The father also added that Truman, his seven-year-old son who the flight attendant was concerned about, is “pretty shy.”
Her suspicions were apparently aroused when the child did not respond or respond to her question about his name. Harris said the entire interaction lasted about 30 seconds.
After a brief questioning, Harris said the officers were satisfied with his answers and the family could continue their journey.
“I wanted to go through the roof,” Harris said, adding that he didn’t want to show anger in front of his children.
Through all his updates, many are pouring in sympathy and support for the father and his children, but some are not responding so well.
In his most recent message to Instagramhe uploaded a photo with the caption “SOCIAL MEDIA IS A SCHOOL GARDEN FOR ADULTS,” while then highlighting a negative comment.
“Just move on and live your life and enough with posting every little scratch and scrape that life has to throw at you,” the comment read.
Others in the comments suggested that the counselor’s heart was in the right place and that she believed the child was in danger or being trafficked.
The Department of Homeland Security points that someone is non-communicative as a sign of human trafficking.
American Airlines empowers employees to take action if they feel human trafficking is occurring.
After a brief questioning, Harris said the officers were satisfied with his answers and the family could continue their journey. “I wanted to go through the roof,” Harris said, adding that he didn’t want to show anger in front of his children
In response to their apology, the singer ended his post with “this was a teachable moment for everyone involved” and appreciated the apology
Harris also announced that he has started his own petition to introduce mandatory identity checks for children traveling with their parents
Harris responded with this message on Instagram after someone commented: ‘Just move on and live your life and enough with posting every little scratch and scrape that life throws at you’
The agent who contacted Harris went through the steps the airline takes to prevent human trafficking. The officer also said the entire incident is under investigation.
In addition to the apology, Harris was offered 10,000 airline miles, an offer he described as “quite insulting.”
Harris has also announced that he has started his own business petition introduce mandatory identity checks for children traveling with their parents.
“I think it would go a long way to deter traffickers from using commercial air travel as a front,” Harris said.