United Airlines says flight attendant in Terrell Davis incident is no longer employed and NFL legend’s ‘no fly’ ban is lifted

By Sydney Bishop, Jack Hannah and Carmen Conte Widman, CNN

(CNN) — The flight attendant involved in an incident that led to Terrell Davis’ removal from a United Airlines plane in handcuffs “is no longer employed” and the NFL Hall of Famer’s “no fly” ban has been lifted, the airline told CNN Tuesday.

United’s statement came after Davis took to social media Tuesday to share an emailed letter notifying him of his placement on the airline’s no fly list following the July 13 encounter.

United said the letter was sent to Davis the day after the incident, and that the action has been rescinded and the change was communicated to Davis’s team the following day.

Additionally, the airline said the flight attendant involved in the controversy is no longer an employee. It was not immediately clear if the flight attendant’s employment status is a result of the incident involving Davis. CNN has asked United for more details.

Davis’ attorney Parker Stinar said in a statement Tuesday United’s claim that the “apparently withdrawn” ban had been communicated to Davis’ lawyers “is blatantly false,” and only following his social media post did Davis become aware of the ban being rescinded.

“Engaging in tactics in an attempt to discredit the timeline of events is worrisome, to say the least,” Stinar said.

Davis and his family were on their way to a vacation in California when he was handcuffed and taken off a United plane. Davis says all he had done was tap a flight attendant’s arm to ask for a cup of ice, and that he was wrongfully removed.

Sent by the airline’s Passenger Incident Review Committee, the letter stated Davis’ ban is in “compliance with (United’s) contract of carriage and our legal obligations as a common carrier … to delay or refuse to carry any passenger whose conduct or conditions threatens the safety of our employees or other passengers.”

“Based on the nature of the reported incident … this shall serve as a notice that you are not permitted to fly on United Airlines or any regional carrier operating as United Express,” the undated letter continued. The airline added the action could be lifted following review by the Passenger Incident Review Committee.

“While my family and I continue to have difficult conversations with our children, I will continue to fight for what is right for all passengers of @united,” Davis wrote in his Tuesday photo caption, referring to the ban.

The letter “was generated due to the report of the flight attendant – who is no longer employed by United,” Leslie Scott, a spokesperson for United Airlines, said in a statement to CNN. “The day after the letter was sent, we discussed with Mr. Davis’ team that it had been rescinded. We have apologized to Mr. Davis for his experience and continue to review our handling of incidents like this to protect our highest priority – the safety of our customers and crew.”

In his statement, Stinar said Tuesday’s developments have “only further confirmed there is an urgent need for an overhaul of United’s leadership, who continues to prioritize protecting their image over passenger safety and experience, including at the expense of an innocent family’s reputation and well-being.”

Davis has said he was on a flight from Denver to Orange County, California, when he tapped a flight attendant on the shoulder to get his attention. He previously told CNN’s Erin Burnett “the flight attendant spun back and said, ‘Don’t hit me.’”

“I thought nothing of it other than this particular employee was incredibly rude and blatantly wrong in his accusations of me hitting him. I did not see or interact with him further for the duration of the flight,” Davis wrote July 15, two days after the incident.

Upon landing at John Wayne Airport in California, Davis was then led off the aircraft in handcuffs by local and federal law enforcement in front of his wife, two sons, daughter and multiple passengers recording the scene. He was detained for a short time, then the agents let him go and “profusely apologized,” Davis wrote.

The airline said at the time they had “reached out to Mr. Davis’ team to apologize” and had “removed the flight attendant from duty while we closely look into this matter.”

Stinar has said Davis’ team plans to move forward with a lawsuit against the airline.

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