Alleged Incident on American Airlines Flight
The lawsuit filed against American Airlines by Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal in the US district court for the eastern district of New York pertains to a flight they took on January 5 from Phoenix, Arizona, to New York, New York.
Details of the Incident
- The three Black men were not seated together and had never met prior to boarding the flight.
- An American representative asked them individually to deboard the flight without explanation.
- Five other Black male passengers were also asked to leave the plane.
Racism Allegations Against American Airlines
According to the lawsuit, the men noticed that only Black men were being ordered off the plane, raising concerns of racial discrimination.
Reason for Removal
The men were informed that they were being removed due to a complaint about body odor from an unidentified passenger, as reported by a white male flight attendant.
Response and Impact
Upon their removal, the men expressed that they felt racially targeted, with at least one airline representative seemingly acknowledging the discrimination.
The pilot announced to other passengers that the men were removed due to a body odor complaint, further adding to their humiliation.
Statements from the Men
The men stated, “What happened to us was wrong. Imagine a flight attendant ordering every white person off a plane because of a complaint about one white person. That would never happen. But that is what happened to us.”
They emphasized that they were singled out for being Black, leading to embarrassment and humiliation, labeling the incident as clear discrimination.
