From left: Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal (Source: BBC)
Three Black men have filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against American Airlines, claiming they were unjustly removed from a flight due to an alleged body odor complaint from an unidentified passenger.
The plaintiffs, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal, assert that they were removed from a January 5 flight from Phoenix to New York after a flight attendant approached each of them individually and asked them to exit the plane. The men, who did not know each other and were not seated together, believe they were targeted because of their race.
According to the lawsuit, the men had flown from Los Angeles to Phoenix earlier that day without any issues. Once they boarded the flight to New York and took their seats, they were asked to leave the aircraft. While waiting outside, the pilot announced a delay due to an issue with "body odor," which the plaintiffs contend was a false claim.
The lawsuit, filed by consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, describes the profound embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, anger, and distress the men experienced throughout the incident. They were eventually allowed to reboard the plane but felt humiliated as they navigated past predominantly white passengers.
The men seek unspecified damages for the trauma they endured. At the gate, they, along with five others, were informed by an airline agent that they were removed because a white male flight attendant had complained about an unidentified passenger's body odor. Attempts to re-book the men on other flights were unsuccessful, leading them to reboard their original flight.
In a joint statement, the men said, "American Airlines singled us out for being Black, embarrassed us, and humiliated us. There is no explanation other than the color of our skin. Clearly, this was racial discrimination."
American Airlines has stated that it is investigating the matter. "We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us. Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people," the airline said in a statement.
