A lawsuit claims that a flight crew complained about body odor, prompting the removal of all black passengers from an American Airlines flight. During the disturbing in-flight event last January, the plane remained parked on the Phoenix Airport tarmac, ready for takeoff to New York JFK, presumably removing eight men who were sitting independently and unknown to each other.
According to the legal claim, the disturbance occurred when a “white male flight attendant” expressed worry about an “offensive body odor” on the plane, forcing the males to exit Flight 832.
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After an hour of futile attempts to book alternate flights, the airline officials urged the guys to return to the plane and regain their seats. Three of the eight have now filed a racial discrimination case.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the guys stated, “American Airlines singled us out for being black, embarrassed us, and humiliated us.” The Texas-based airline responded by claiming that it was investigating the severe allegations, which contradicted its core values.
The consumer rights organization Public Citizen filed a federal complaint on behalf of Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal. According to the Mirror, they assert that they witnessed the removal of “every black man on the flight”.
The men had flown from Los Angeles without problem, but when they arrived at their connecting flight, an airline official informed them that they were being “removed because a white male flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger’s body odor.”
“There is no explanation other than the color of our skin,” the men said in their communication, adding, “Clearly this was racial discrimination.”
When the airline crew was unable to rebook them onto alternative flights, they were allowed to re-board the plane, but only after the pilot made a public statement informing fellow passengers about the delay caused by a so-called “body odor” issue. The complainants in this case reject any claims of odor.
“Throughout the flight—from the moment of their reboarding, in each interaction with the white male flight attendant, and continuing until landing—plaintiffs experienced profound feelings of embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, anger, and distress,” according to the court papers.
“The act of returning to their seats after the unwarranted delay, navigating past the predominantly white passengers, several of whom eyed them with anger and undue suspicion, compounded their humiliation.” The complaint seeks specific damages from the airline for the “trauma” suffered by the passengers.
Huhta, the attorney for the clients in Wednesday’s case filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, said, “It’s almost inconceivable to come up with an explanation for that other than the color of their skin.” She continued, “Particularly since they didn’t know each other and weren’t sitting near each other.”
Although they have not yet provided an explanation for the men’s expulsion from the trip, American Airlines has stated that they “take all claims of discrimination very seriously.”
They said, “We want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us,” along with, “Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.”
