Airline Accused Of Prohibiting Boarding Of Jewish Passengers

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a fine of $4 million against Lufthansa on October 15, as it accused the Germany-based airline of discrimination for preventing over 100 Jewish passengers from boarding a flight in 2022.

The DOT consent order says that the incident occurred in May 2022 when Lufthansa stopped 128 Jewish passengers from boarding a connecting flight in Germany. Apparently, there was some “misconduct” by some passengers on the originating flight which departed from New York.

That flight had 131 passengers all traveling to Budapest, Hungary, for an annual memorial event celebrating an Orthodox rabbi. Most of the passengers “wore distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men,” the DOT said.

The agency said it received more than 40 complaints from Jewish passengers involved in the incident. They said that although they were all going to the same destination, most of them did not know each other.

The DOT said it determined that Lufthansa discriminated against the passengers because the airline “treated them all as a single group and denied them boarding for the alleged misbehavior of a few.” The agency said the $4 million fine is the largest ever levied against a carrier for civil rights violations.

Lufthansa said it has fully cooperated with the DOT’s review process and “We remain focused on the many efforts which have been initiated including, partnering with American Jewish Committee (AJC), a highly respected and globally recognized advocacy organization and thought leader."

The DOT’s consent order also stated that the airline “regrets and has publicly apologized on numerous occasions for the circumstances surrounding the decision to deny boarding to the affected passengers" in the incident, but "denies any suggestion that any of its employees engaged in any form of discrimination."

Lufthansa stated in its response that it has “zero tolerance for any form of religious or ethnic-based discrimination, including antisemitism.”

FMI:  www.transportation.gov/