DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines An unspecified number of employees were placed on leave for their involvement in an incident in which several black passengers were removed from a flight in Phoenix after allegedly complaining of body odor.
American CEO Robert Isom A note to employees said the incident was unacceptable.
“I am extremely disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures,” Isom said in the note this week. “This is contrary to our values. … We fell short of our commitments and disappointed our customers in this incident.”
Three black passengers sued the airline Last month, he alleged he was removed from a January flight because of racial discrimination. He said he was told a white male flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger's body odor.
The men said they did not know each other and were seated separately while waiting for the plane to leave for New York. All three said they were among eight passengers — they said all of them were black men — on the flight who were asked to get off the plane.
The men said they demanded an explanation for their removal during a confrontation with airline personnel in the jet bridge. According to their lawsuit, at least one person recorded the discussion, in which the airline employee appeared to agree that the men had been discriminated against.
After a delay of about an hour, he was allowed to return to the plane.
American did not say how many employees were furloughed or describe their positions. An airline spokesperson said, “We are holding those involved accountable, including terminating team members.”
Isom said American will form an advisory group to focus on the black customer experience, promote reporting of discrimination allegations and improve diversity training to “focus on real-world situations to help identify and address bias and discrimination.”
In his note, which was first reported by CBS News, Isom said he had spoken to the president of the NAACP about the incident. The civil rights group did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
American has been accused of discrimination in recent times. In 2017, the NAACP filed a complaint in this matter. Black travelers warned about flying on the airline, claiming that many African American passengers faced discrimination from airline employees. American promised to make changes, and the NAACP Advisory withdrawn Almost nine months later.