American Airlines suspends employees after incident involving exclusion of black passengers

Several American Airlines employees have been suspended for their involvement in an incident in which black passengers were kicked off a flight after complaining about body odor.

In May, three passengers sued the airline, claiming racial discrimination in connection with the January 5 incident.

CEO Robert Isom addressed employees in a statement saying the incident was unacceptable and the company had failed in its commitment to customers.

“We will hold those involved accountable, including removing team members from service,” the airline said in a statement.

In addition, American Airlines has announced several initiatives to prevent such incidents, including the creation of an “advisory group” to address the experiences of black passengers.

In the May lawsuit, three men who did not know each other and were not seated next to each other claimed that all black men were removed from the flight from Phoenix to New York City.

A total of eight passengers were removed from the flight.

“American Airlines exposed, embarrassed and humiliated us because of our black heritage,” the airline said in a statement.

The three men, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal, said they were targeted by American Airlines because of their race, which caused them embarrassment and humiliation.

Eventually, the men were allowed to return to their seats on the original flight.

In a letter to employees on June 18, Isom said he was “incredibly disappointed by the events on the flight and the breakdown of our procedures.”

“We have failed to meet our obligations and disappointed our customers,” he said.

Isom also reiterated the airline’s willingness to work with civil rights organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to restore trust.

This is not the first time that American Airlines has faced allegations of discrimination.

In a 2017 incident, the NAACP advised black travelers to avoid the airline, citing a pattern of “disrespectful” and “discriminatory” behavior and a “corporate culture of racial insensitivity and possible racial bias.”

The warning was lifted the following year after the airline made operational changes.

However, on June 4 of this year, the NAACP warned that it might reinstate the warning if American Airlines did not respond quickly and decisively to the January incident.

Nancy Mbamalu

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