American Airlines faces a flurry of racial discrimination complaints
Fort Worth-based American Airlines is facing accusations of racial discrimination after removing two Black celebrities from flights during the last week and is being sued in federal court by a Black passenger for also being kicked off a flight. Dallas track star Sha’Carri Richardson said she was forced to leave an American Airlines flight Saturday after a confrontation with a flight attendant who confronted her while she was making a video during pre-flight announcements, according to videos the hopeful Olympian posted to Instagram. That came after New York rapper Talib Kweli said he was threatened with arrest and removed from an American Airlines flight last week following a dispute with a flight attendant over the size of his personal bag and carry-on luggage. American Airlines was also sued in U.S. District Court in North Florida on Friday by a Black man who said he was kicked off a flight in “an act of blatant racial discrimination” following a dispute with a flight attendant. “@americanair is racist. Period,” Talib Kweli said on his verified Instagram page where he shared the Richardson incident. “If this is how they are treated Black folks with fame privilege imagine how they are treating Black folks without large platforms!” American Airlines has faced issues with its treatment of Black flyers before. In 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory to Black passengers to avoid flying the airline after a series of complaints about interactions between the carrier and Black individuals. The NAACP dropped the travel advisory in 2018 and American Airlines has instituted implicit bias training and reviewed its complaint system to try to address racial discrimination. American Airlines chief diversity officer Cedric Rockamore said a company of this size is going to get complaints, but the overall number of passenger complaints and discrimination complaints have decreased in recent years. Every American Airlines employee is required to undergo implicit bias and discrimination training, he said, including frontline workers.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-01-24/oneworld/american-airlines-faces-a-flurry-of-racial-discrimination-complaints
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American Airlines faces a flurry of racial discrimination complaints
Fort Worth-based American Airlines is facing accusations of racial discrimination after removing two Black celebrities from flights during the last week and is being sued in federal court by a Black passenger for also being kicked off a flight. Dallas track star Sha’Carri Richardson said she was forced to leave an American Airlines flight Saturday after a confrontation with a flight attendant who confronted her while she was making a video during pre-flight announcements, according to videos the hopeful Olympian posted to Instagram. That came after New York rapper Talib Kweli said he was threatened with arrest and removed from an American Airlines flight last week following a dispute with a flight attendant over the size of his personal bag and carry-on luggage. American Airlines was also sued in U.S. District Court in North Florida on Friday by a Black man who said he was kicked off a flight in “an act of blatant racial discrimination” following a dispute with a flight attendant. “@americanair is racist. Period,” Talib Kweli said on his verified Instagram page where he shared the Richardson incident. “If this is how they are treated Black folks with fame privilege imagine how they are treating Black folks without large platforms!” American Airlines has faced issues with its treatment of Black flyers before. In 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory to Black passengers to avoid flying the airline after a series of complaints about interactions between the carrier and Black individuals. The NAACP dropped the travel advisory in 2018 and American Airlines has instituted implicit bias training and reviewed its complaint system to try to address racial discrimination. American Airlines chief diversity officer Cedric Rockamore said a company of this size is going to get complaints, but the overall number of passenger complaints and discrimination complaints have decreased in recent years. Every American Airlines employee is required to undergo implicit bias and discrimination training, he said, including frontline workers.<br/>
