Showing posts with label American Airlines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Airlines. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

American Airlines Apologizes for Accusing Black Basketball Players of Theft

American Airlines has apologized to two players on the Memphis Grizzlies' minor league affiliate who were kicked off a plane in Dallas after a flight attendant wrongfully accused them of stealing blankets, which an assistant coach suggested happened because they are black.

Airline spokesman Joshua Freed said Tuesday that Memphis Hustle guard Marquis Teague and forward Trahson Burrell boarded the Sunday flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The flight was operated by Envoy Air.

Two first-class passengers gave the players their blankets as they headed to their seats in coach. But a flight attendant, who is also black, accused them of theft and the players were asked to leave the plane following an argument.

An airline manager apologized to the players and they later flew first class to Sioux Falls, Freed said.

"We take pride in bringing people together, and we know that on this flight we let some of our customers down," Freed said. "Our team at American, along with Envoy Air, is reviewing what happened, and will be reaching out to them."

Read more: American Airlines Apologizes for Accusing Memphis Hustle Players of Theft

Thursday, October 26, 2017

American Airlines to NAACP: Let's talk about discrimination


American Airlines and the NAACP on Thursday said they look forward to discussing together allegations of discrimination against passengers of the largest U.S. airline.

The comments came two days after the NAACP issued an advisory that warned the public, African-American travelers in particular, against choosing the carrier because of a risk of "discriminatory and unsafe conditions."

"The NAACP looks forward to meeting with American Airlines leadership to address these issues of alleged racism and inappropriate and disparate treatment of people of color," said NAACP spokesman Malik Russell, in an emailed statement.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Thursday on an earnings call with analysts that the airline looked forward to discussing the matter.

On Tuesday, the NAACP issued an advisory against American Airlines, citing four recent incidents in which African-American passengers said they were discriminated against by the airline, including one high-profile incident in which an activist said that she was ordered off the plane after a dispute over a change in her seat assignment.

The NAACP, the nation's oldest civil rights organization, said its advisory alerted "travelers — especially African Americans — to exercise caution, in that booking and boarding flights on American Airlines could subject them disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions."

"Discrimination, exclusion and unconscious biases are enormous problems that no one's mastered and we would never suggest that we have it all figured out," Parker said on the quarterly earnings call. "We would never suggest that we have it all figured out. What we know is we want to keep learning and we want to get even better."

[SOURCE: CNBC]