American Airlines CEO Robert Isom wrote note to staff condemning incident and announcing advisory group for improving travel for Black customers.
Incident occurred on a flight from Phoenix to New York in January.
Passengers claim they did not know each other and were seated separately when removed.
Three Black passengers sued American Airlines for racial discrimination after being removed from a flight due to body odor complaint.
American Airlines has taken action following an incident in which several Black passengers were removed from a flight due to a complaint about body odor. The airline put employees on leave for their involvement in the incident, and three of the passengers have sued American Airlines for racial discrimination.
The incident occurred on a flight from Phoenix to New York in January. According to reports, every Black man on the plane was removed after a complaint about body odor. The passengers were eventually allowed back on the plane after a delay.
Three of the passengers have filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging racial discrimination. They claim that they did not know each other and were seated separately when they were removed from the flight.
In response to the incident, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom wrote in a note to staff that it was unacceptable and contradicted the airline's values. He also announced that an advisory group would be formed to focus on improving travel for Black customers and promoting reporting of discrimination allegations.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has previously warned Black travelers about flying on American Airlines due to reports of discriminatory behavior. In 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory warning against flying on American Airlines after several incidents involving African American passengers.
American Airlines has not commented on the specific number of employees put on leave or their job titles. The airline did say that those involved in the incident were being held accountable and removed from service.
The lawsuit filed by the three passengers is ongoing.
American Airlines will take new measures including new training for staff, creating an advisory group and evaluating policies over removing people from flights after Black passengers filed a lawsuit alleging they were forced off a plane without cause.
, American is creating a new ‘Coversight and excellence advisory group’ that will focus on improving travel for Black passengers, updating its process for handling customer allegations of discrimination or bias, reviewing operational manuals with a focus on scenarios where passengers could be removed and introducing new training to help staff recognize and address bias and discrimination.
Three men filed a lawsuit against American Airlines in May for racial discrimination after being removed from a flight between Phoenix and New York in January.
CEO Robert Isom put several employees on leave for their involvement in the incident.
The three black passengers were eventually allowed to re-take their seats on the original flight.
Accuracy
American Airlines has faced previous allegations of racial discrimination from the NAACP in 2017 and was warned to improve its operations.
The NAACP warned black travellers to avoid American Airlines again in June due to the January incident.
American Airlines put employees on leave for their involvement in the removal of several Black passengers from a flight in Phoenix.
Three Black passengers sued American Airlines, alleging racial discrimination after being removed from the flight due to a complaint about body odor. (This fact is unique because it includes the specific number of passengers and that they all sued together.)
Accuracy
Three Black passengers sued American Airlines, alleging racial discrimination after being removed from the flight due to a complaint about body odor.
CEO Robert Isom called the incident 'unacceptable' and 'a breakdown of procedures.'
The men were seated separately and did not know each other before being told to leave the plane.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an example of a dichotomous depiction and an appeal to authority. The dichotomous depiction is found in the statement 'Three Black passengers sued the airline last month, charging that they were removed from the January flight because of racial discrimination. They said they were told that a white male flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger’s body odor.', which presents the situation as either a case of racial discrimination or a legitimate complaint about body odor, ignoring the possibility of other factors. The appeal to authority is found in the statement 'American CEO Robert Isom wrote in a note to staff that...', where Isom's position as CEO is used to lend credibility to his statements. No other fallacies were found.
Three Black passengers sued the airline last month, charging that they were removed from the January flight because of racial discrimination. They said they were told that a white male flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger’s body odor.
