Summary

  • A lawsuit was filed against Southwest Airlines for an allegedly discriminatory free flight program.
  • The American Alliance for Equal Rights is seeking an injunction against Southwest’s race-based eligibility criteria.
  • Southwest’s 20-year-old ¡Lánzate! program provides free flights exclusively for Hispanic students.

On 21 May 2024, the American Alliance for Equal Rights filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines, contending that one of the airline’s free flight programs for low-income Hispanic students violates federal civil rights laws. The program is officially named the ¡Lánzate! Travel Award Program, and offers free round-trip flights to Hispanic undergraduate and graduate-level students who may not be able to afford air travel on their own.

The organization backing the lawsuit, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, is backed by well-known anti-affirmative action proponent Edward Blum. The lawyer, who rose to prominence during a lawsuit against Harvard University’s affirmative action policies, is a registered Republican, and his work is reportedly financially supported by several conservative foundations and trusts.

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 flying low to the ground.

Photo: Jeramey Lende | Shutterstock

Blum’s lawsuit claims that the Southwest Airlines program unfairly bars non-white students from applying for free tickets. According to Reuters, the group is seeking an injunction from a federal court in Dallas to prevent the airline from using race as an eligibility criterion for the program.

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A 20-year-old program

The ¡Lánzate! Travel Award Program, established in 2004, has been part of Southwest’s philanthropic initiatives for over twenty years. The airline partnered with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), a non-profit organization of which over 600 leading educational institutions maintain membership. According to its website, the HACU received over $400 million in federal funding in 2023 alone.

To qualify for this program, Hispanic students must attend an academic institution at least 200 miles from their home and be of Hispanic heritage. Those who meet the eligibility criteria and are selected can receive four free round-trip tickets annually.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX taxiing to the gate shutterstock_2334328221

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Since its launch, the organization has benefited over 1,500 students. Blum and the group that filed the lawsuit that this program unfairly discriminates against students not of Hispanic heritage, sharing the following words in a statement:

“Southwest Airlines should immediately open this program to all students, regardless of their skin colour or ethnic heritage.”

Southwest Airlines did not respond to Simple Flying’s request for a comment regarding the situation. Neither did the HACU.

An unsurprising move

Over the past few years, Blum’s organization has attempted to challenge many educational and corporate diversity programs. Blum rose to prominence during cases in 2019 and 2023 that challenged race-conscious admissions at American universities.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

The most important of these cases, Students for Fair Admissions vs. University of North Carolina, et al., saw a district court ruling in 2019 in the universities’ favor, but a later Supreme Court decision indicated that race-based affirmative action was unconstitutional, except at the military service academies. A subsequent lawsuit attempted to challenge the approval of race-conscious admissions at service academies, but this was later blocked.

The organization has also filed lawsuits challenging diversity practices at several publicly traded companies, arguing against diversity quotas for membership on different company boards. Blum’s group also targeted a black-owned venture capital fund, which offered grants to young women of color looking to launch new businesses. Today’s news marks Blum’s first attempt to target the philanthropic practices of a major company.

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