After months of legal battles, three black men have reached a settlement with American Airlines after claiming they were forcibly removed from their flight due to their race.
The lawsuit filed by Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal, accused the airline of racial discrimination, noting an incident that occurred earlier this year when the men were told to exit the aircraft following complaints about their “body odor.”
“We are very pleased that American Airlines took our complaint seriously and we hope that this never happens to Black passengers or any other people of color again,” the men said in a joint statement. “Our goal in speaking out has always been to create change. We are proud that we used our voices to make a difference in the lives of Black Americans.”
The settlement was finalized on Thursday and remains confidential. While the conditions of the settlement are under wraps, the airline says that they’re committed to providing an inclusive environment for all travelers and will place measures to ensure a similar situation doesn’t occur in the future.
“American Airlines is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment to all customers,” the airline said.
To give you a backstory, the three men, along with five other Black men, were removed from Flight 832 in Phoenix in January. Despite not knowing each other and not sitting together, the men were reportedly told by the staff to exit the plane after a flight attendant made complaints of “foul body odor.” According to reports, the pilot informed the rest of the passengers that the men were removed due to body odor. However, the men stated that they were not told about the body odor and believed they were escorted off of the plane due to their race.
American Airlines also took disciplinary action against the flight attendants who were involved in the situation following the lawsuit.
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