06-04-2024
Three Black men filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging airline employees kicked them and five other Black men off a flight in January. According to the lawsuit, an airline employee directed the men off the plane one at a time without offering any explanation.
The men initially felt "annoyed and frustrated" for getting bumped off the plane. However, after seeing that airline staff had only removed Black men, "It hit them like a ton of bricks." Video shared with The Washington Post shows eight Black men standing outside the plane and staff directing them to return to the airport. The men asked for an explanation and asserted they paid for their flight like everyone else. Airline representatives purportedly told the men to return to the gate for rebooking. One employee told the men that someone had complained about body odor. The plaintiffs assert the body order complaint came from a white male flight attendant. The lawsuit states none of the men had any offensive odor, and no one accused any of the men of some offense. None of the men knew each other, and they were not sitting together. A female passenger said the airline staff made an announcement to the passengers while the men were off the plane and said the staff was addressing a body odor issue. American Airlines let the men return to the aircraft an hour later after they could not find alternate flights. One of the plaintiffs told The Washington Post that walking through the plane felt like an "aisle of shame" and "It was horrible. It was a really traumatic experience.”
American Airlines issued a statement in response to the lawsuit, asserting that it takes discrimination claims "very seriously" and is investigating the matter. Airlines include body odor as a reason for refusing to allow passengers to board.