By Flynn Demapendan
German airline Lufthansa is facing a large fine of $4 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The controversial claims were made after the airline refused to board a group of passengers that were Jewish in May of 2022.
It was stated by the DOT that the airline had prohibited over 100 people who were wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing from boarding a flight in Germany. The passengers that were trying to board were from New York, and were traveling to Budapest for an event to honor an Orthodox rabbi.
The DOT also stated that the airline’s staff “treated them all as if they were a single group and denied them from boarding,” even though the majority of the passengers did not know each other.
In a video where the incident is shown, the Lufthansa staff told the passengers that “everyone has to pay,” even though a few were, at the time, allegedly violating the airline’s mask policy. The staff then defined “everyone” as Jewish passengers that were arriving from JFK.
At the time of the incident, German media reported that the staff refused boarding to people they viewed as “Jewish.” They refused people who were wearing a yarmulke, a Jewish skull cap, or had sidelocks, which are known as a payot.
“No one should face discrimination when they travel, and today’s action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are prepared to investigate and take action whenever passengers’ civil rights are violated,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
After the incident, Lufthansa had gone through progress since the incident to further connect with Jewish communities. Throughout their progress, they partnered with an advocacy group called the American Jewish Committee.
“Through our ongoing collaboration, we have curated a first-of-its-kind training program in the airline industry for our managers and employees to address antisemitism and discrimination,” said the airline in a statement.
The airline also sent out an apology statement, saying that they “regret the circumstances surrounding the decision to exclude the affected passengers from the flight.” “We have zero tolerance for racism, antisemitism, and discrimination of any type,” added the airline.
Although the company has done its best to apologize for the situation, the employees remain unapologetic. Videos circulating of the staff show them explaining the situation and telling a passenger that the “Jewish people were the mess and made the problems.”
While authorities came to the conclusion that the airlines discriminated against their passengers, the airline took accountability that their employees’ decision to deny the passengers from boarding was an “unfortunate series of inaccurate communications, misinterpretations, and misjudgments.”
beniciapaw.com 