American Airlines’ ‘Odor’ Excuse Reeked of Racism: Lawsuit

Three Black men are suing American Airlines, claiming they were racially targeted during a flight in January when all Black male passengers were allegedly kicked off the flight due to an alleged “offensive body odor.”

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal accused American Airlines of “blatant and egregious race discrimination” during a January flight from Phoenix to New York. According to the complaint, eight men who had already boarded a plane bound for JFK airport—seemingly all of the Black male passengers onboard—were told to exit without an explanation.

When the passengers demanded some sort of reasoning after deplaning, “representatives of American told them that they were ordered off the plane because of a complaint about body odor.” The passengers weren’t personally confronted about any alleged smells but accused the airline of singling out Black men, according to the lawsuit.

Read more at The Daily Beast.