FORT WORTH, Texas — The NAACP asked American Airlines in a letter this week to respond to allegations of discrimination after three Black men filed a lawsuit alleging they were targeted and removed from an American Airlines flight in January.
In that lawsuit, the three men allege they were removed from a flight from Phoenix to New York after a white flight attendant complained of an unidentified passenger's body odor. The men were eventually allowed back on the plane after airline employees discovered there wasn’t another flight available to rebook them on, the men’s lawyers said.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines said after the lawsuit was filed that they were “investigating the matter,” and the allegations "do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people,"
The NAACP, though, pointed to that incident and “additional reports of discrimination” in their letter this week, saying they “convey a troubling pattern,” and called for a response from the airline.
American Airlines disbanded a panel focused on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in 2023, according to the civil rights group. The panel was created after the NAACP issued a travel advisory for the airline in 2017 after allegations of hostility to Black passengers. That advisory was lifted in 2018.
“Recent discriminatory actions from company employees prove that there is a dire need for continued accountability and resolution to this clear pattern,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “We encourage American Airlines to come revive the advisory panel and reconvene with the NAACP to devise a path forward that ensures equitable experiences for all American Airlines customers. Without a swift and decisive response, the NAACP will be forced to reinstate an advisory against the airline."
American Airlines said in a statement that they’ve “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.”
“At American, every customer should feel valued and represented and have a positive experience while traveling with us,” the airline added.
