The NAACP has threatened to reinstate a travel ban on American Airlines, which removed eight black men from a flight last month after a white flight attendant complained about an unnamed passenger’s bodily odor.
In 2017, the civil rights organization issued a travel recommendation for their airline, telling African American travelers to “exercise caution” following repeated complaints of prejudice. The organization at the time identified four “alarming” cases where Black Americans appeared to encounter “disrespectful, discriminatory, or unsafe conditions” during their booking or boarding experience with the airline.
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American Airlines replied by establishing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) panel, and the NAACP lifted its ban in July 2018.
However, last year’s termination of the American Ariline Council was due to the growing politics of DEI projects.
The NAACP is once again urging the firm to respond to escalating charges of discrimination.
“Recent discriminatory actions by company employees demonstrate the urgent need for ongoing accountability and resolution to this clear pattern,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement.
In 2023, track star Sha’Carri Richardson said that a flight attendant “threatened” her and a fan who requested a photo. That same year, American officials questioned artist David Ryan Harris at LAX because they suspected him of trafficking children, despite the fact that the boys were his own sons.
Earlier this year, retired Circuit Judge Pamela Hill-Veal told NPR that while she and her family were flying first class on American from Chicago to Phoenix in February, a flight attendant accused her of “slamming” the 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.
Last month, three black males sued American Airlines, alleging that personnel pushed them and other black male customers to deboard a trip from California to New York.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs did not receive an explanation for their departure immediately. After repeatedly demanding an explanation, a representative finally told them that a white male flight attendant had complained about the body odor of an unnamed passenger. The lawsuit claims that no one accused any of the removed guys of having an objectionable stench.
Based on video footage from the incident, several of the males claim to have experienced discrimination.At least one American representative responds to the claims by saying, “I agree.”
“We encourage American Airlines to revive the advisory panel and reconvene with the NAACP to devise a path forward that ensures equitable experiences for all American Airlines customers,” Johnson stated. The NAACP will have to reinstate an advisory against the airline without a swift and decisive response.
A company spokesperson told The Hill that American Airlines has “worked with the NAACP to institute education and training programs to address issues of bias on our aircraft and within our hiring practices to eliminate bias and create a workforce and customer experience that represents the customers we serve.”
Susan Huhta, partner at Outten & Golden, and Michael Kirkpatrick, 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 for why they were removed from the airplane and publicly humiliated.”
American Airlines previously stated to The Hill that it takes “all claims of discrimination very seriously and wants our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us.” The company also declared that they were reviewing the situation and that “the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.”
