Lawsuit claims American Airlines asked Black passengers to deboard flight
Racial Bias on Flight: AA Forces Black Men Off?
Three Black men have filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging racial discrimination after being forced to deboard a flight due to a complaint about an unidentified passenger's body odor. The incident, which occurred on January 5th from Phoenix to New York, involved the men being singled out and removed without a clear explanation, despite no accusations of body odor directed at them personally. American Airlines is investigating the claims, emphasizing that such discrimination does not reflect their values.
How did the American Airlines representative initially approach and interact with the three men and the other Black male passengers who were asked to deplane?
The American Airlines representative approached the three men—Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal—individually and asked them to leave the plane without providing any explanation. This interaction occurred before the flight's takeoff from Phoenix to New York. Additionally, the lawsuit mentions that five other Black male passengers were also asked to deplane under similar circumstances, with no reasons given at the time.
Were any of the plaintiffs or other Black male passengers accused of having body odor by the flight staff or other passengers?
No, according to the lawsuit filed by the plaintiffs, none of them were accused of having offensive body odor by the flight staff or other passengers6. The complaint states that a white male flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger's body odor, which led to the removal of the plaintiffs and other Black male passengers from the flight.