American Airlines fired employees who kicked eight black passengers off a plane after blaming them for an “offensive” smell.
The male passengers, who did not know each other, had boarded Flight 832 at the Phoenix airport for a five-hour flight to New York JFK in January.
The men were seated in different parts of the plane, but were all identified and removed from the plane when a “white flight attendant” made a complaint about “offensive body odor.”
Three of the passengers removed from the flight have since sued the airline, alleging that they were removed from the flight due to racial discrimination.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told staff this week that he is “incredibly disappointed” and that they “failed their customers.”
According to a lawsuit, eight black men, traveling separately, were ordered to leave an American Airlines flight in January after an attendant complained about body odor.
After the incident went viral, chief executive Robert Isom told staff this week he was “incredibly disappointed” and that they “failed their customers.”
‘I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the failure of our procedures. It contradicts our values. “We failed to meet our commitments and failed our customers in this incident,” he said.
It also noted that an unspecified number of employees had been suspended for their involvement in the incident.
The company did not name the employees or describe their jobs.
An airline spokesperson said: “We are holding those involved accountable, including removing team members from service.”
The CEO also said the company would form an advisory group to focus on the experience of Black customers, promote reporting of discrimination allegations and improve diversity training to “focus on real-world situations to help recognize and address issues.” prejudice and discrimination.
They had previously said that they “take all complaints of discrimination very seriously.”
“We want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us,” they added.
“Our teams are currently investigating the matter as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.”
Three of the men, Alvin Jackson (left), Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal (right) are suing the airline, claiming they were traumatized by the experience.
The three men who sued the company, Jean Joseph and his traveling companions Alvin Jackson and Xavier Veal, had each taken a connecting flight from Los Angeles before boarding the plane in Phoenix.
Veal decided to record the incident on his phone after noticing that all the black passengers, and none of the white ones, were being removed.
“I started going crazy,” he said.
The video shows staff in the gate area struggling to find them another flight; one man calls the incident “unprofessional” and another comments that “this is not a random choice.”
A black American Airlines employee at the counter appeared to agree with the assertion that his removal was racially motivated, admitting, “I don’t disagree with you.”
Three of the men began talking when they met at the baggage claim area at the end of the flight, and they filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
“They had to reboard the plane and endure the stares of the mostly white passengers who considered them the cause of the significant delay,” the lawsuit states.
“They suffered throughout the flight home, and the entire incident was traumatic, disturbing, terrifying, humiliating and degrading.”
The remaining passengers were allegedly informed of the alleged reason for the transfer before the eight men were asked to return to the plane and take their seats.
The lawsuit alleges that other passengers were informed that the men were removed due to an odor while they were off the plane.
“We’re walking down the hall of shame, so to speak,” Veal said. ‘It was horrible. It was a really traumatic experience.
“Unfortunately, I am a black man and I live in America.”