The lawsuit against American Airlines alleges racial discrimination, claiming that three black men were briefly removed from a flight after a complaint about body odour. The incident reportedly occurred on a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to New York on January 5th.
According to the lawsuit, the men, who were not seated together and did not know each other, assert that all black men on the flight were removed following the complaint. The lawsuit raises concerns about racial profiling and discriminatory treatment by the airline.
“American Airlines singled us out for being Black, embarrassed us, and humiliated us,” the men said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The Texas-based American Airlines stated it was investigating the incident, emphasizing that the allegations did not align with the airline’s values.
The lawsuit, filed by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, details that the men had already taken their seats and were preparing to depart Phoenix when a flight attendant approached each of them and asked them to exit the plane.
The lawsuit underscores that the men, who did not know each other and were seated separately, were targeted solely based on their race, suggesting racial profiling and discriminatory practices by the airline. American Airlines has promised a thorough investigation to address these serious allegations.
Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal allege that, as they were leaving, they realised that “every Black man on the flight was being removed”.
Each of the men had flown from Los Angeles earlier that day, with no issue.
At the flight gate, the three men, along with five others, were told by an airline agent that they had been “removed because a white male flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger’s body odour”.
“There is no explanation other than the color of our skin,” the men said in a statement on Wednesday, adding: “Clearly this was racial discrimination.”
Three black men have filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that they were briefly removed from a flight due to a complaint about body odour. Despite not knowing each other and being seated separately, the men claim they were targeted solely based on their race.
American Airlines employees attempted to re-book the men on other flights, but no flights to New York were available that night. Consequently, they were allowed to re-board their original flight. The airline has stated it is investigating the incident, emphasizing that the allegations do not align with its values or purpose of caring for people.
While the men waited outside the plane, the pilot allegedly announced a delay due to an issue with “body odour,” a claim the plaintiffs assert was false.
The lawsuit describes the men’s profound feelings of embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, anger, and distress throughout the flight. It also highlights the additional humiliation of having to re-board the plane in front of predominantly white passengers who viewed them with suspicion.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for the “trauma” they endured. One of the men, Mr. Joseph, compared the experience to the racial discrimination faced by Civil Rights hero Rosa Parks in 1955. He emphasized the necessity of the lawsuit to ensure American Airlines faces proper accountability.
In 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory warning black Americans against flying with American Airlines due to discrimination, which was lifted the following year after the airline made operational changes.
