American Airlines has placed several employees on leave after the company was sued by three black New Yorkers who were kicked off a JFK-bound flight over complaints of body odor.
American CEO Robert Isom announced the disciplinary action in a memo to employees this week in which he condemned a troubling incident at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in January.
“I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures,” Isom said in the memo.
“This is contrary to our values … we have failed our obligations and failed our customers in this incident.”
It’s unclear how many American Airlines employees involved in the debacle were placed on leave.
“We will hold those involved accountable, including removing the crew members from service,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
Eight black men were kicked off a flight on Jan. 5 after a white male flight attendant complained of body odor, according to a lawsuit filed against American by three passengers.
The trio from New York — Xavier Vale, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Alvin Jackson — claimed in the lawsuit that they experienced “blatant and egregious racial discrimination” at the hands of airline employees.
The men were complete strangers and were seated separately, according to the lawsuit, while they and five other black passengers were seated separately.
Video of the incident showed the men saying they were targeted because of their race — a comment one American Airlines employee verbally admitted, shocking video shows.
They were kicked off the plane but unable to find another flight and ordered to re-board, an arduous and frustrating ordeal that delayed the flight by about an hour, according to the lawsuit filed last month.
According to Isom’s letter, American is forming an advisory group to focus on the experience of black customers. .
This isn’t the first time American Airlines has faced discrimination allegations.
In 2017, the NAACP warned black passengers to avoid the airline, citing multiple instances of alleged discrimination, the lawsuit explained.
American promised to make changes, and the NAACP dropped the advisory after nearly nine months.
Isom says he has consulted with the civil rights organization about the company’s next steps.
With the post Wires
