Delta Air Lines fined $50,000 for ‘discriminatory conduct’ after removal of three Muslims passengers
The U.S. Department of Transportation has fined Delta Air Lines $50,000 for “discriminatory conduct” related to two 2016 incidents in which three Muslim passengers were removed from flights.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) filed a consent order claiming Delta violated the law “when it removed and denied re-boarding” to the Muslim customers, according to NBC. The order also requires that all cabin crew members and service staff involved in the two incidents take cultural-sensitivity training.
The first discriminatory occurrence was on July 26, 2016, when a Muslim married couple boarded a flight in Paris to return to their home in Cincinnati.
A passenger told a flight attendant that the couple made her uncomfortable, citing an instance where the Muslim husband allegedly inserted “something plastic into his watch” and did “something with it.” The passenger described the couple as “fidgety, nervous, and sweating,” according to the consent order.
Flight attendants claimed that the husband was texting on his phone and using the word ‘Allah’ several times. They also noted that he did not smile after making eye contact with the attendants.
