Dall the best – American Airlines placed an unspecified number of employees on leave for their involvement in an incident in which several black passengers were removed from a flight in Phoenix, allegedly because of a complaint about body odor.
American CEO Roberto Isom wrote in a note to staff that the incident was unacceptable.
“I am extremely disappointed with what happened on that flight and the breach of our procedures,” Isom said in this week’s statement. “This contradicts our values. … We did not meet our commitments and failed our customers in this incident.”
Three black passengers sued the airline last month, accusing them of being removed from the January flight because of racial discrimination. They said they were told that a white flight attendant complained about an unidentified passenger’s body odor.
The men said they did not know each other and were sitting separately as they waited for the plane to depart for New York. The three said they were among eight passengers — all black men on the flight, they said — who were told to leave the plane.
The men said they demanded an explanation for their removal during a confrontation with airline employees on the boarding bridge. At least one of the men recorded the argument, capturing an airline employee who appeared to agree that the men were being discriminated against, according to the lawsuit.
After a delay of about an hour, they were allowed back on the plane.
American did not say how many employees were laid off or describe their positions. A spokesperson for the airline said: “We are holding those involved to account, including removing members of staff from service.”
Isom said American would form an advisory group to focus on the experience of Black customers, to promote the reporting of allegations of discrimination and to improve diversity training to “focus on real-world situations to help recognize and address bias and discrimination”.
In his statement, previously reported by CBS News, Isom said he spoke with the president of the NAACP about the incident. The civil rights group did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
American has faced accusations of discrimination in the recent past. In 2017, the NAACP warned black travelers about flying on the airline, alleging that several African-American passengers experienced discrimination by airline employees. American promised to make changes, and the NAACP raised the warning almost nine months later.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
