American Airlines CEO seeks to ‘restore trust’ after black men removed from flight operations

In light of several recent incidents of alleged racial discrimination against passengers, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said he would take immediate action to restore “trust” within the company.

In a letter to employees obtained by NPR, Isom wrote that he wanted to address an “unacceptable incident” in which eight black male passengers were removed from an American flight in January and later put back on board. He says the unfortunate incident “runs counter” to the airline’s values ​​and what it stands for.

“I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on this flight and the failure of our procedures,” Isom wrote. “We failed in our obligations and failed our customers in this incident.”

As NPR reported, three black men filed suit against American Airlines in court last month, claiming they were victims of “blatant and egregious racial discrimination” after they were kicked off a flight from Phoenix to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jan. 5. The three plaintiffs — Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal — say they and five other black male passengers were kicked off the flight “without just cause, based solely on their race.”

The eight men did not know each other and did not sit together on the flight.

Isom’s letter outlines a series of steps the airline will take to strengthen “diversity and inclusion” within the company. The steps include:

• Establish an advisory group focused on improving the travel experience for black customers,

• Review and improve the company’s internal reporting process for cases where discrimination or bias is alleged,

• Reassessing policies, practices, protocols and organizational culture to recognize and identify areas for growth and improvement,

• And the company trains its employees to “recognize and counteract prejudice and discrimination.”

Additionally, Isom wrote in his letter that he had spoken with Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, about the civil rights organization’s concerns surrounding the recent lawsuit against the airline. Isom thanked Johnson for sharing his concerns and views, adding that discrimination of any kind is “unacceptable” and will not be tolerated within the company.

In a statement to NPR, Johnson said he was pleased that American had taken initial steps to “pave a path to a more comprehensive experience for all.”

“While it is unfortunately common for black consumers to experience racism and discrimination at the hands of companies, it is not often that such a swift and decisive response is received,” Johnson said, adding that he hopes this approach can serve as a model for other companies that may find themselves in a similar situation.

American Airlines did not respond to NPR’s request for comment on the letter or whether the employees involved in the incident would be fired. Representatives for Jackson, Joseph and Veal also did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.

Concerns about racial discrimination have plagued American Airlines for years. In 2017, the NAACP issued a warning to black travelers to be cautious when flying with the airline.

The airline’s then-CEO, Doug Parker, responded that the company “does not and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” leading to the lifting of the discrimination warning in 2018.

Copyright: NPR