This isn’t the first time the airline has been accused of discrimination.
On January 5, 2024, eight Black passengers were removed from an American Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to New York’s JFK. Three of the passengers–Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal–have filed a lawsuit against the airline, alleging racial discrimination.
According to the federal lawsuit, the flight was preparing for takeoff when a flight attendant asked several passengers to deboard. After exiting, they realized that the crew removed all Black men from the flight. The plaintiffs did not know each other and were not seated next to one another. The complaint alleges that an agent told them that a male flight attendant complained about their body odor. An hour later, the men were allowed to board their original flight.
While they were held up, it’s alleged the pilot made an intercom announcement that the flight was delayed due to a body odor issue. The plaintiffs had flown from Los Angeles earlier that day without any problems, and say that the claim about body odor is a fabrication. None of the staff members spoke with them about it before they were asked to deplane.
In a video shared by the plaintiffs, the passengers are seen asking gate agents about this decision and one of them agrees that it was discriminatory.
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In a statement by the passengers on Wednesday, they said that it was clearly racial discrimination. “There is no explanation other than the color of our skin.”
The complaint describes their experience on the flight: “Throughout the flight–from the moment of their reboarding, in each interaction with the white male flight attendant, and continuing until landing–Plaintiffs experienced profound feelings of embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, anger, and distress.”
The plaintiffs are asking the airline to pay unspecified damages.
In a conversation with the BBC, one of the passengers, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, urged others to speak up against injustice. He also said that it was an alienating experience and it’s crazy that it’s still happening in 2024.
American Airlines also released a statement stating that they are currently investigating the matter and these claims do not align with their core values. “We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us.”
The lawsuit alleges that American Airlines has a pattern of discriminating against Black passengers. In 2017, the NAACP warned Black passengers to be cautious when flying with American Airlines. A series of racially motivated incidents led to the advisory, including passengers being evicted from their flights and in one particular case, a Black woman being downgraded from first class to coach. The advisory was lifted nine months later after the airline addressed these concerns.