Three men filed a lawsuit against American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) on May 29, accusing the airline of racial discrimination for removing them and five other Black passengers from a flight due to a complaint about body odor.
The lawsuit claims that Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, Xavier Veal, and five other Black male passengers were taken off American Flight 832 from Phoenix to JFK in New York City on January 5, 2024, solely because of their race.
According to the complaint, a white flight attendant reported a passenger’s offensive body odor, leading to the removal of the men for about an hour before they were allowed back on the plane.
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“The whole ordeal was traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, degrading, and outrageous. American’s blatant profiling was malicious and racist,” the lawsuit adds.
They are seeking damages for pain and suffering, as well as punitive damages for the airline’s alleged discriminatory actions.
American Airlines mentioned in a statement that it is looking into the issue and stated that the allegations do not align with the company’s principles. The airline expressed, “We treat all discrimination claims with utmost seriousness and aim for our customers to have a pleasant experience when they select us for their flights.”
Susan Huhta, representing the three plaintiffs, stated that the incident is part of a troubling history of allegations that American Airlines discriminates against Black passengers.
The lawsuit alleges that there have been other instances of the airline targeting Black individuals and passengers of color. The lawsuit also mentions that the NAACP issued a travel advisory in 2017 warning Black travelers about the airline due to American’s alleged racial bias towards Black passengers.
This lawsuit comes in the wake of other incidents involving allegations of discrimination against Black passengers by American Airlines.
