Saying he was deeply
disturbed by the carrier’s response, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom vowed he
would take action in a case of alleged racial discrimination.
In an incident that dates
back to January, eight black men were removed from a flight that emanated in
Phoenix because
of alleged body odor.
Three of the men
subsequently filed a lawsuit against American and claimed it was racially
motivated.
Isom wrote to employees that
the incident was “unacceptable.”
“I am incredibly disappointed
by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures,” Isom
said. “We fell short of our commitments and failed our customers in this
incident.”
Isom also met with civil rights groups and said he would outline a plan of action after the men said they were singled out and filed a lawsuit in a New York federal court. The lawsuit said that the men did not know each other, were not traveling together, and were the only black men on the plane.
The men also said in the suit that they had originally left Los Angeles for Phoenix, and there was no incident or mention of body odor on that particular flight.
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