American Airlines is in hot water right now over what they did to 8 Black passengers. An unspecified number of employees remove the 3 from a flight in Phoenix, Arizona. Allegedly, the complaint was over body odor.
The CEO of the American Airlines Robert Isom is outraged over the situation. He knows this is an awful look for the company and voices his displeasure in a note. "I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures," Isom writes. "It contradicts our values. ... We fell short of our commitments and failed our customers in this incident."
Passengers Sue American Airlines Over Racial Discrimination
Three of the passengers fight back against this injustice. They join together to sue American Airlines over racial discrimination. They claim a white flight attendant complained about a passenger's body odor. Then, the staff makes all of the Black passengers leave their flight to New York.
The 3 men find it important to note that this is not a conspiracy against the airlines. Furthermore, none of the 8 passengers know each other. On the flight, they all sit separately from one another. Ultimately, they only united to rectify the situation at hand.
Afterwards, the men demand an explanation from staff. According to the lawsuit, one or more of the men records the situation. In the recording, they catch an employee agreeing with their complaints of discrimination. Eventually, the staff escorts them back onto the plane for their flight.
Naturally, this leaves American Airlines working damage control. Robert Isom is working overtime to ensure a situation like this doesn't happen again. In a report from CBS News, he's speaking with the president of NAACP. Additionally, the airlines are forming an advisory group to improve diversity and ensure the satisfaction of Black customers. Isom says it's all about focusing on "real-world situations to help recognize and address bias and discrimination."
