A group of Black men is suing American Airlines after being kicked off a flight for allegedly bad body odor.
Current Events :
In a story that has captured the news cycle, 8 Black men — who did not know each other — were seated separately on Flight 832 from Phoenix to New York’s JFK Airport. However, at some point before the plane left the gate, a “white male flight attendant” went around to each of the men and told them they were being kicked off the plane for being “smelly.”
It was only after the 8 Black men met on the jetbridge and then gathered at the check-in flight desk that they realized they were being racially profiled.
“I started freaking out,” said Xavier Veal who pulled out his phone and began filming once he realized all of the Black male passengers onboard had been targeted and ejected.
This is “un-f*cking-professional,” one of the men was heard exclaiming on the recording.
When the men explained to a Black American Airlines attendant at the desk that not only did they not smell, but that it was clear their removal from the flight was racially motivated, she appeared to support their claims.
“I do not disagree with you,” the employee said.
After being removed from the flight, crew members spent nearly an hour attempting to rebook the men on a different flight. However, when no alternatives were found, the 8 men were miraculously allowed to return to their seats as if nothing had happened.
“I knew that as soon as I got on that plane, a sea of white faces were going to be looking at me and blaming me for their late flight of an hour,” passenger Emmanuel Jean Joseph told CBS News.
Once the flight landed at JFK, the 8 men gathered at baggage claim to discuss their ordeal and options. Three of the men have since lodged a lawsuit against American Airlines in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
“If American Airlines received a complaint about a Black male passenger with offensive body odor but could not verify the complaint, the solution should not have been to eject 8 separate Black men from the plane,” said Susan Huhta, an employment law attorney in Washington, DC, who is representing the men.
“It’s almost inconceivable to come up with an explanation for that other than the color of their skin — particularly since they didn’t know each other and weren’t sitting near each other.”
For their part, American said it is looking into the claims.
“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 airline said in a statement. “Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.”
A new lawsuit claims American Airlines employees pulled three Black male passengers off a plane after a complaint about body odor. They did not know each other and were not seated next to each other.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) May 29, 2024
First on CBS Mornings, the men tell their story to @krisvancleave. pic.twitter.com/fWX8ZCuy3e
Ironically, the NAACP warned Black travelers back in 2017 to avoid flying on American, noting that several African-American passengers had experienced discrimination by the airline. However, once American promised changes, the civil-rights group later lifted the advisory — but, that may all change.
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American Airlines sued after booting Black men.
I did not hear about this until now. These brothers are right to sue them. American cannot even keep their planes running on time. I will go along with the NAACP and not fly them.