NEW YORK — Black passengers who were briefly kicked off an American Airlines plane in January sued the airline Wednesday, alleging they were victims of racial discrimination.
Three of the men filed suit in federal court in New York. They said they were told to leave a plane waiting to take off in Phoenix and noticed five other black men who were also ordered to leave the flight.
The men said airline employees told them they were fired because of a complaint about body odor, which they said was false. The men said they complained of discrimination.
American offered to rebook them, but when it became clear after about an hour that there were no other flights available to New York that evening, they were allowed to reboard the plane, according to the lawsuit filed by Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group. founded by Ralph Nader.
American said it was investigating the allegations.
“We take all allegations of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to travel with us,” the airline said in a statement. “Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as these allegations do not reflect our core values or our desire to care for people.”
In 2017, the NAACP warned Black travelers against flying with American Airlines, saying several African American passengers had faced discrimination by the airline. Americans promised changes, and the civil rights group later lifted the advisory.
ABC News
