American Airlines has taken action after three black passengers alleged racial discrimination during a flight, CEO Robert Isom wrote in a letter sent to airline employees on Tuesday. He also described steps American Airlines would take to address discrimination after speaking with civil rights groups.
In the letter, obtained by CBS News, Isom wrote that leadership wanted to address an “unacceptable incident” in which several black passengers were removed from a flight due to a complaint of “offensive body odor.”
“I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and by the failure of our procedures,” Isom wrote. “We have not kept our promises and let our customers down in this incident.”
The employees involved are said to be on leave while the airline conducts an investigation, American Airlines said in a later statement.
Three black passengers sued the airline in federal court last month, handlers claimed they removed them from the flight due to racial discrimination. Eight men, who all flew on Flight 832 from Phoenix to New York in January, were not traveling together, did not know each other and appeared to be the only black passengers on the plane, according to the complaint.
Flight attendants did not report an offensive odor on an earlier flight the three plaintiffs took from Los Angeles to Phoenix, the complaint said. The passengers were eventually brought back on board when there were no other flights to New York with room. Plaintiffs recorded the incident, and in the video, a gate agent appeared to agree that race was a factor in the decision to remove the men from the flight.
“I knew that as soon as I got on that plane, a sea of white faces would look at me and blame me for their late, hour-long flight,” one of the accusers, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, told CBS News senior. transport correspondent Kris Van Cleave in an interview.
Xavier Veal, another plaintiff in the case, recorded the incident on his phone and said he believes if it had been a white person, the situation likely wouldn’t have happened. “We were discriminated against. The whole situation was racist,” Veal said.
There have been other incidents involving passengers flying on American Airlines who also alleged racial discrimination, the complaint said. In 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory urging members not to fly with the airline. The advisory was withdrawn eight months later after the company agreed to numerous provisions, including the formation of an advisory board, NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a public statement after the recent lawsuit was filed.
American Airlines disbanded the panel in 2023, the NAACP said, but racist incidents continued. “Without a swift and decisive response, the NAACP will be forced to reinstate an advisory opinion against the airline,” Johnson said earlier this month.
Isom wrote in his letter that he spoke with Johnson about the organization’s concerns following the most recent incident. He thanked Johnson for sharing his views and said American Airlines would take immediate action in the aftermath, including setting up an advisory group and strengthening oversight and reporting mechanisms.
“The NAACP is pleased to see that American Airlines has taken the first steps to blaze a trail toward a more inclusive experience for all. While it is unfortunately common for Black consumers to experience racism and discrimination at the hands of companies, it is not common to see such swift and decisive action,” Johnson said in a statement to CBS News. “We hope this approach will serve as a model for other companies that may find themselves in similar situations.”
The airline’s advisory group would, the letter says, “focus on improving the travel experience for Black customers” and promote responsibility to provide an “inclusive” travel experience. Employees will be encouraged to come forward to ensure “prompt and transparent handling” of allegations of discrimination or bias. The company said they will provide employee training, review operations manuals and create a long-term diversity plan.
“Rest assured that we remain steadfast in our commitment to working with the NAACP and other civil rights organizations to learn from this incident, listen to you and rebuild trust with you, our team members and our Black customers, and to deliver the best possible experience with Americans,” Isom wrote.
Kris Van Cleave
