The world's busiest airline is sued for refusing black passengers

American Airlines plane in New York City

American Airlines (USA) has just been sued for racial discrimination after removing three African-American men from a flight from Phoenix (Arizona) to New York (New York), according to Reuters on May 30.

According to the lawsuit filed on May 29 in federal court in New York, the plaintiffs said they and five other African-Americans were removed from a flight in January for about an hour after a white flight attendant complained about a passenger who smelled bad.

None of the black men smelled but were clearly racially targeted because they were all of African descent, according to the lawsuit, which calls the incident "traumatic, shocking, frightening, humiliating and degrading."

They accused the company of violating a Civil War-era law prohibiting racial discrimination in contracts, and sought unspecified damages.

American Airlines said in a statement that it is investigating the incident and that the allegations in the lawsuit do not reflect the airline's values. "We take all complaints of discrimination seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us," the statement said.

Attorney Susan Huhta, representing the three plaintiffs, said the incident was part of a "troubling history" of allegations that Americans discriminated against African-American passengers.

Last month, NPR reported that a retired African-American judge in Chicago, Illinois, filed a lawsuit claiming that the airline prevented her from using the first-class restroom, even though she had purchased a ticket in that class.

In 2017, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) urged African-American travelers not to fly the airline, citing a series of racially charged incidents. The organization later withdrew its recommendation after American Airlines agreed to update its policies and provide bias training to its employees.

American Airlines is the world's largest airline by passenger volume, serving about 211 million passengers last year, according to Statista .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tu-choi-khach-da-mau-hang-hang-khong-dong-khach-nhat-the-gioi-bi-kien-185240530100306667.htm