By love-89.com In May 2022, Lufthansa came under fire for denying boarding to 128 Jewish American passengers dressed in traditional Orthodox attire as they attempted to transfer to Budapest. This action was characterized as discriminatory, leading the Department of Transportation to impose a record fine of $4 million on the airline.
According to the Department of Transportation, passengers scheduled to travel to Budapest were barred from boarding by Lufthansa staff while at a German airport. It was noted that many of these individuals did not know one another and were not traveling together. Nonetheless, Lufthansa employees, reacting to perceived inappropriate behavior from a few passengers, treated the entire group as a single entity and denied them access to the flight.
The alleged “inappropriate behavior” was said to include non-compliance with Lufthansa’s mask mandates. Video footage from the incident revealed that airline personnel informed the passengers that due to the actions of a few individuals, all Jewish passengers from JFK Airport would “pay the price.” Reports indicated that Lufthansa staff made judgments based on visible signs of Orthodox Jewish identity, such as yarmulkes and payot, which led to the boarding denial.
This fine is the largest ever imposed by the Department of Transportation for violations of civil rights by an airline.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated, “No one should face discrimination while traveling. Today’s action sends a clear message to airlines: We will investigate and take action whenever a passenger’s civil rights are violated.”
Deborah Lipstadt, the Biden administration’s special envoy to combat anti-Semitism, expressed her disbelief during a 2022 NBC interview upon hearing about Lufthansa’s treatment of passengers. “When I first heard about it, I thought, ‘Oh, this must be a misunderstanding.’ However, it later became clear that it was indeed true, and worse than we imagined.”
In response to the incident, Lufthansa stated on the 15th that it fully cooperated with the Department of Transportation’s investigation and subsequently worked closely with the American Jewish Committee. “Cooperation with all parties is ongoing, and we have launched unprecedented training sessions for our managers and staff on addressing anti-Semitism and discrimination issues.”
After the news broke, Lufthansa promptly issued an apology, emphasizing its zero tolerance for any form of racism, anti-Semitism, or discrimination.