Three black men have filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging they were removed from a flight due to a crew member’s accusation of body odour.
Gatekeepers News reports that the incident occurred on Flight 832 from Phoenix to New York in January, according to NBCDFW.
Eight black men, who did not know each other, were seated in different parts of the plane when a white male flight attendant complained about “offensive body odour.”
The men were then asked to leave the plane, only to be told an hour later to re-board after no alternative flight was found.
The lawsuit claims that the men suffered a “traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading” experience, having to re-board the plane and face the stares of mostly white passengers who blamed them for the delay.
One of the plaintiffs, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, stated, “I knew that as soon as I got on that plane, a sea of white faces were going to be looking at me and blaming me for their late flight of an hour.”
The lawsuit alleges racial discrimination by the American Airlines crew, and the men are seeking damages for the distress and humiliation they endured.
The incident has sparked concerns about racial bias and discrimination in the airline industry.
