The NAACP threatened to reinstate a travel ban on American Airlines after the company removed eight black men from a flight last month when a white flight attendant complained that an unidentified passenger had body odor.
In 2017, the civil rights organizationissued a travel warning to your airline, warning African-American passengers to “exercise caution” following multiple reports of discrimination. At the time, the organization cited four “alarming” incidents that appeared to show that Black Americans were subjected to “disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions” when making reservations or boarding the airline.
American Airlines responded by establishing a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) panel, and the NAACP lifted its ban in July 2018.
But amid the growing politicization of DEI programs, the board of American Ariline was dissolved last year.
Now, the NAACP is once again calling on the company to respond to growing allegations of discrimination.
“Recent discriminatory actions by company employees prove there is a dire need for continued accountability and resolution of this clear standard,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. said in a statement.
In 2023, track star Sha’Carri Richardson alleged that a flight attendant “threatened” her and a fan who wanted a photo. That same year, American team members questioned musician David Ryan Harris at LAX because they suspected he was trafficking children — even though the boys were his own children.
Earlier this year, retired judge Pamela Hill-Veal told NPR that while she and her family flew first class on American from Chicago to Phoenix in February, a flight attendant accused her of “hitting” first class bathroom door and then told her she would have to use the bathroom in the back of the plane for the rest of the flight.
And last month, three black men filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that employees forced them and other black male passengers to disembark a flight from California to New York.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were not immediately given the reason for their removal. Only after demanding an explanation several times did a representative finally tell them that a white flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger’s body odor. None of the men removed were accused of having an offensive odor, the lawsuit states.
Video recordings of the incident show several men claiming they were being discriminated against. At least one American representative can be heard saying “I agree” in response to the accusations.
“We encourage American Airlines to revive the advisory panel and reconvene with the NAACP to chart a path forward that ensures equitable experiences for all American Airlines customers,” Johnson said. “Without a quick and decisive response, the NAACP will be forced to reinstate a warning against the airline.”
A company spokesperson told The Hill that American Airlines “worked with the NAACP to institute education and training programs to address issues of bias on our aircraft and in our hiring practices to eliminate bias and create a workforce and a customer experience that represents the customers we serve.”
The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Susan Huhta, a partner at Outten & Golden, and Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group, said in a statement Wednesday that their three clients “are still waiting for American Airlines to provide them with a reasonable explanation regarding why they were removed from the plane and publicly humiliated.”
American Airlines previously told The Hill that the company takes “all allegations of discrimination very seriously and wants our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us.” The company added that the matter was being investigated and that “the allegations do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
