WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will award German airline Lufthansa $4 million for its treatment of a group of Jewish passengers who were denied boarding on a 2022 Frankfurt flight after flying from New York to Germany. was fined.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that Lufthansa was given a $2 million credit to compensate passengers and the fine was the largest fine ever issued by the agency to an airline for civil rights violations. It was reduced to half price.
The ministry said most of the 128 passengers who were denied boarding were "wearing distinctive clothing commonly worn by Orthodox Jewish men.” Even though many did not know each other and were not traveling together, Lufthansa treated them as if they were a group and denied them all boarding due to alleged misconduct by several passengers. he told investigators.
They were among 131 passengers flying from New York to Budapest via Frankfurt to attend the annual commemoration honoring Orthodox rabbis.
Some people said flight attendants told them on the first flight that they had to wear masks and not gather in aisles or near emergency exits. Lufthansa crew members did not identify the passengers who failed to follow instructions, but the airline said the high number of violations and the number of seat changes during the flight were to blame.
According to the consent order in the case, the captain reported the passenger’s misconduct to Lufthansa security, which initiated action that led to him being denied boarding on his connecting flight.
Lufthansa denied “the ministry’s assertion that the events in this case arose from any form of discrimination” and disputed claims that its employees acted with prejudice, but added that “mistakes in the company’s procedures and communications” ‘ admitted.
Lufthansa reached a settlement with most passengers in 2022.
