Vicky Chai Tea, what gives you the impression that this guy's bird was going to fly away and not come back? The bird looked like it was having a ball, and never allowed itself to get very far from its human companion. They clearly have a good relationship, and the bird clearly has excellent flight skills. The likelihood of it getting lost or running into something seems fairly slim to me. It looks like there is almost no traffic on the road, so it seems like it's an ideal time for the guy to take his bird out flying.
There are many responsible people who free-fly their birds outdoors. These are not just pet bird owners who decide it's a good idea one day (which certainly IS irresponsible); these are people who have trained and prepared for months or years to get their bird ready for outdoor flight.
Letting a pet bird outdoors without that preparation is certainly reckless and possibly cruel. Free-flying a bird with the proper preparations and precautions is neither of those things: it is, in fact, one of the kindest things a person can do for her parrot, since it is what parrots were built to do.
You mentioned in a comment on another post that you think keeping flighted birds as pets is dangerous and irresponsible. In fact, I would argue that allowing my parrots to be flighted and teaching them good flight skills makes them much safer than they would be if they were clipped. They can escape danger much more effectively, should they get into it (inside the house or out). If they do manage to get loose outdoors, they have a much better chance of surviving if they can fly into a tree and know how to fly down safely. They're stronger and healthier because they fly regularly - a few minutes of flight gives a bird more exercise than a clipped bird gets in an entire day. Flight also exercises their brains, since they have more choices and have to make more decisions than a clipped bird.
Saying that free-flying a parrot is cruel is like saying that herding dogs should never get to work sheep or cattle because it's dangerous. Yes, dogs can get hurt while herding, but doing what they are biologically designed to do makes the animal so happy that it's worth the risk. The same is true for parrots.
Yes, having flighted birds is risky. But life is risky. It's all about finding the balance between taking risks and giving our birds fulfilling, exciting, enjoyable lives. You and I clearly find that balance in different ways, but that doesn't mean that my decisions are irresponsible. I assure you that most people who keep flighted parrots have thought hard about their decision and have taken precautions to keep their parrots safe.
