New York CNN —
Lufthansa, Germany’s largest airline, has been fined a record $4 million for discriminating against Jewish passengers, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.
The fine stems from an incident in May 2022 in which the airline banned 128 Jewish passengers from boarding a flight. The passengers were wearing “unique clothing typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men," the DOT said in its consent order. They were denied boarding as a group due to “suspected misconduct on the part of several individuals” and were unable to connect from their New York flight to Budapest in Frankfurt.
However, the passengers did not know each other and were not traveling together.
The airline said in a press release that the incident was “an unfortunate result of a series of miscommunications, misunderstandings and bad judgments throughout the decision-making process” and that these actions were “regrettable, but not discriminatory”. It does not support any findings or the views of the authorities.” Discoveries from this incident. ”
The misconduct detailed in the report includes “repeated disregard” for the safety of the 60 passengers on board, as well as public announcements from flight attendants and the flight deck. The flight attendant said some passengers disrupted the flight’s food and beverage service by economy class flight attendants, “disturbing other passengers” and argued with flight attendants about wearing masks.
The DOT said Tuesday’s fine is the largest ever handed down by a federal agency for a civil rights violation.
“No one should face discrimination while traveling,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Today’s action requires the airline industry to investigate and take action every time a passenger’s civil rights are violated. “It sends a clear message that we are ready to take action.”
"Following the incident involving a Jewish passenger, Lufthansa has fully cooperated with the DOT throughout the review process,” Lufthansa said in a statement to CNN.
The airline added that it is partnering with Jewish organizations such as the American Jewish Committee to create training programs for employees to “address anti-Semitism and discrimination.”
“Lufthansa is dedicated to being an ambassador of goodwill, tolerance, diversity and inclusion,” the airline’s statement said.
