American Airlines Threatened With Travel Ban From NAACP After Passengers Removed For Body Odor
American Airlines is under fire from the NAACP after 8 black men were removed from a flight in May following a complaint about body odor.
Last month three of those passengers filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, after alleging that airline personnel removed them and the other black male passenger from a flight from California to New York. A flight attendant had complained about body odor, though none of the passengers removed were accused of being the source of that odor.
A tweet shared by Collin Rugg alleges that the men who filed that discrimination lawsuit don’t even know one another.
NEW: Three black men have launched a lawsuit against American Airlines after they were removed from a flight for "body odor."
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 30, 2024
Eight black men in total were removed from an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to New York City in January.
Here is where things get interesting:… pic.twitter.com/BllJSg5K21
After American Airlines offered to book new flights for the men, but when no other flights were available at that late hour, they were all allowed back on the plane.
In 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory for the airline after what it described as “disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions” when booking or boarding with the airline.
American Airlines responded by creating a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) panel and the NAACP lifted the ban in 2018.
However, the growing politicization of DEI programs prompted the airline to disband the panel in 2023.
NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson released a statement saying, “Without a swift and decisive response, the NAACP will be forced to reinstate an advisory against the airline.”
American Airlines told The Hill that they take “all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us.”
Airlines can justifiably remove passengers who are a source of offensive odors in a highly confined space, but it’s also possible for airline service to stink to high heaven.