Several American Airlines employees have been placed on leave following an incident where Black passengers were removed from a flight due to a complaint about body odor.
Three passengers filed a lawsuit against the airline in May, accusing it of racial discrimination during the January 5 incident.
The BBC reports that Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, stated in a memo to employees that the incident was unacceptable and the company did not meet its commitment to customers.
“We are holding those involved accountable, including removing team members from service,” the airline said in a statement.
The company has announced various initiatives to prevent similar incidents, including the formation of an “advisory group” dedicated to the experiences of Black passengers.
In the lawsuit filed in May, three men, who were not acquainted and not seated together, reported that all Black men were removed from a flight traveling from Phoenix, Arizona, to New York City. In total, eight passengers were removed.
“American Airlines singled us out for being black, embarrassed us, and humiliated us,” they said in a statement.
BBC reported that the three individuals, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal, were ultimately permitted to return to their seats on the initial flight.
In a letter to employees dated 18 June, Mr Isom said he was “incredibly disappointed by what happened on the flight and the breakdown of our procedures”.
“We fell short of our commitments and failed our customers,” he said.
He added that the airline is “steadfast in our commitment” to working with civil rights organisations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, to “rebuild trust”.
The incident is not the first time that American Airlines has faced allegations of discrimination.
