Passengers sue American Airlines for alleged racial discrimination
Six passengers have sued American Airlines over alleged racial discrimination. Last month, five passengers spoke up when Elgin Banks, a black man, was reportedly asked to get off the plane after he raised his voice at staff.
FILE – In this April 24, 2019, photo, American Airlines aircraft are shown parked at their gates at Miami International Airport in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
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UPDATED 10:11 AM PT — Sunday, June 21, 2020
Six passengers have sued American Airlines over alleged racial discrimination. Last month, five passengers spoke up when Elgin Banks, a black man, was reportedly asked to get off the plane after he raised his voice at staff.
According to the passengers, the incident began when all onboard the flight were encouraged to swap seats before takeoff to encourage social distancing.
When Banks tried, however, he was told to remain seated. When he protested, he was told not to raise his voice to the staff and then instructed to leave the plane.
“They had me thinking that I really did something. I was actually going to get off the plane, but the people that stood by me said, ‘No sir. You did not do anything wrong. Do not go anywhere.'” – Elgin Banks, passenger
After five other passengers complained about Banks’ treatment and said he never raised his voice, they were kicked off the flight with Banks.
According to a statement by the airline, the allegations were not an accurate representation of what happened. However, they have apologized for the incident.