Lufthansa plane are pictured in Frankfurt, Germany, in March. The airline has agreed to pay a $4 million civil rights penalty by the U.S. Division of Transportation.
Michael Probst/AP
cover caption
toggle caption
Michael Probst/AP
The German airline Lufthansa has agreed to pay a file $4 million penalty for allegedly discriminating in opposition to Jewish passengers, the U.S. Division of Transportation (DOT) introduced Tuesday.
The fees stem from an incident in Could 2022, through which 131 passengers deliberate to fly from New York Metropolis to Budapest — with a connection in Frankfurt — for an annual memorial occasion for an Orthodox rabbi. Most wore the distinctive black hats and jackets sometimes favored by Orthodox Jewish males, the DOT says.
“Despite the 131 passengers having a common destination, most of the passengers did not know each other and did not book their flights as a single group,” in line with the division’s consent order.
But the DOT says Lufthansa handled the Jewish passengers as one entity, and barred 128 of them from boarding their connecting flight because of the alleged misconduct of some.
Crew members alleged that in the course of the first leg of the journey from New York to Frankfurt, some passengers repeatedly disregarded their directions to put on face masks — which was required by German regulation on the time because of the COVID-19 public well being emergency — and keep away from gathering within the aisles. The airline later did not establish any particular passengers who hadn’t complied, the consent order notes.
Video from the incident, reported on the time by NBC Information, confirmed Lufthansa employees telling passengers that “everyone has to pay” for the errors of some. The employees stated “everyone” meant “Jewish coming from JFK,” referring to the New York Metropolis airport.
The captain of the primary flight alerted Lufthansa safety, which positioned a maintain on the passengers’ tickets that prevented them from boarding their connecting flight from Frankfurt to Budapest. All 128 passengers with a maintain on their ticket have been Jewish, DOT officers say.
The transfer left passengers confused and upset, pressured to delay or disrupt their journey plans, they added. Lufthansa rebooked a lot of the passengers on different flights that very same day, whereas some made their very own various preparations.
The DOT acquired over 40 discrimination complaints from Jewish passengers after the incident, prompting its Workplace of Aviation Shopper Safety (OACP) to open an investigation.
“Most passengers who were interviewed by OACP stated that Lufthansa treated them all as if they were a single group, and denied boarding onto [the Budapest flight] to everyone for the apparent misbehavior of a few, because they were openly and visibly Jewish,” it stated.
Lufthansa denies discrimination, however has taken steps to publicly right course
The DOT investigation concluded that Lufthansa had discriminated in opposition to the passengers on the premise of faith, and subjected them to “unreasonable” discrimination.
“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,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated in a press release.
Lufthansa, for its half, says the boarding prohibition was the results of “an unfortunate series of inaccurate communications, misinterpretations, and misjudgments throughout the decision-making process,” in line with the DOT.
The airline stated it has publicly apologized for the incident on quite a few events, calling it “regrettable” and denying that its staff engaged in discrimination, in line with the consent order.
A spokesperson for Lufthansa informed NPR that the airline absolutely cooperated with the DOT all through its assessment course of.
The airline additionally outlined steps it has taken since to foster dialogue with the Jewish neighborhood, like adopting the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism and partnering with 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,” it stated in a press release. “Lufthansa is dedicated to being an ambassador of goodwill, tolerance, diversity, and acceptance.”
Mark Goldfeder, a lawyer and the director of the Nationwide Jewish Advocacy Middle, tweeted on Tuesday that he was “proud to represent these passengers, and that thanks to our efforts Lufthansa became the first airline to adopt the IHRA definition.” He thanked Buttigieg and the DOT for holding the airline accountable for discrimination.
The DOT says Lufthansa finally entered into the consent order, regardless of disagreeing with the division’s conclusions, to keep away from litigation that the division had threatened.
The result’s the $4 million penalty, which the DOT says is the most important it has ever issued in opposition to an airline for civil rights violations. Lufthansa can pay $2 million, and the DOT says it should credit score the airline with the opposite $2 million from compensation it has paid to affected passengers.
