The United States Department of State levies a substantial penalty against Lufthansa.
U.S. Transportation Department Levies Record $4 million Fine on Lufthansa for Kicking Off Over 100 Passengers from Flight; Allegations of Religious Discrimination
Lufthansa has been slapped with a hefty fine of $4 million (equivalent to approximately €3.67 million) by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The fine was issued due to Lufthansa removing more passengers than necessary from a connecting flight during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2022. Specifically, 128 Jewish passengers were denied their connecting flight from New York to Frankfurt to Budapest, allegedly due to some not complying with the mandatory FFP2 mask requirement.
The U.S. Department of Transportation condemned Lufthansa for penalizing the entire group of passengers, despite not all of them being linked or traveling together. The fine is the most substantial ever imposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation against an airline for infringing upon passengers' civil rights.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated, "Nobody should be discriminated against while traveling. Today's action serves as a firm warning to the aviation industry that we will conduct inquiries and take action if passengers' civil rights are violated."
More than 40 individuals affected by the incident reached out to the department following the event. Investigations revealed that the captain of the New York to Frankfurt flight contacted Lufthansa's security personnel, claiming that some passengers had disregarded crew instructions. Subsequently, all passengers who appeared to be Orthodox Jewish men were barred from their connecting flight, even though Lufthansa later failed to identify any passenger who had disregarded crew instructions. Tickets were canceled, and the passengers, some donning hats and payot, were en route to the connecting airport in Hesse.
Lufthansa initially declined to comment on the ruling when contacted by ntv.de. However, the company did issue a $2 million compensation package at the time, which is now being deducted from the fine.
The European Union expressed concern over the incident, as it involves potential religious discrimination against passengers. The European Union has been advocating for strict adherence to non-discriminatory policies in all aviation sectors.
This incident has also sparked discussions within the European Union, calling for enhanced cooperation and coordination between member states' transport authorities to ensure respect for passengers' rights and prevent such incidents in the future.
