Lufthansa facing penalties for infringing upon the civil liberties of 128 Jewish travelers
The origin of the fine stemmed from a May 2022 occurrence where the airline barred 128 passengers of Jewish descent from boarding. As per a consent decree by the Department of Transportation (DOT), the passengers were easily identifiable due to their distinctive attire often worn by Orthodox Jewish males. They were turned away as a collective and couldn't proceed to Budapest from their New York flight via Frankfurt due to the alleged misconduct of a few individuals.
However, it was unknowingly to each other that the passengers weren't familiar with each other or were not traveling together.
In a press release, the airline attributed the incident to a series of unlucky communications, misunderstandings, and incorrect judgments during the decision-making process. Despite these lapses, the airline argued that they didn't back up any accusations of discrimination and the DOT's conclusions in this case.
The report highlighted several unruly behaviours. A whopping 60 passengers onboard were frequently disregarding safety and public announcements from flight attendants and the cockpit. Some passengers obstructed the flight attendants from serving food and beverages in economy class, caused inconvenience to fellow passengers, and raised a fuss with the crew regarding mask usage.
The DOT declared that this penalty on Tuesday was their highest-ever fine for civil rights infringements, handed out by a federal agency.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg commented in the release, "No one should encounter discrimination while traveling, and today’s move sends a powerful message to the airline sector that we will investigate and intervene whenever passengers’ civil rights are infringed."
Lufthansa stated in an interview with CNN that post the incident involving their Jewish passengers, the airline has collaborated with the DOT throughout their review process.
The airline continued its statement by and large by working with Jewish associations, such as the American Jewish Committee, to establish training programs aimed at eradicating antisemitism and discrimination for their staff members.
The airline wished to portray itself as an ambassador of understanding, tolerance, diversity, and acceptance."
The airline acknowledged the need to improve its communication and decision-making processes in the business of airline operations to prevent such incidents in the future. Despite the fine, Lufthansa expressed its commitment to promoting diversity and acceptance within its business, collaborating with Jewish organizations to combat antisemitism and discrimination.
