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Washington, DC, April 26 -- The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee (ADC) warmly welcomed discrimination charges by the
United States Department of Transportation (DOT) against American
Airlines for illegally discriminating against passengers who were
removed from flights because of their perceived ethnicity.
ADC was advised yesterday that the Office of Aviation Enforcement
at the DOT concluded a year-long investigation into the removal of
airline passengers by American Airlines by filing charges of
illegal discrimination the airline.
In June 2002, ADC joined the American-Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
in filing lawsuits against American Airlines, United Airlines, and
Continental Airlines alleging that the airlines engaged in the
unlawful removals of Arab, Arab-American, Muslim, or South Asian
passengers based on their perceived religion, ethnicity, or
national origin. ADC also filed numerous complaints, and
assisted others in doing so, with the DOT against the airlines for
removing passengers in this unlawful manner.
According to the DOT, the allegations in the complaint concern ten
individuals, mostly American citizens, who were either removed
from or denied boarding on their scheduled American Airlines
flights, even though they were properly ticketed and had
successfully passed all security checks. In some cases the
complainants were immediately rebooked on American or another
airline and not subjected to any additional screening, even though
they had been removed from their original American flight as an
alleged security risk. The DOT added that it was seeking a
judgment ordering American to cease and desist from engaging in
discriminatory conduct in the future and that the airline could be
held liable for civil penalties of $65,000 plus additional
penalties.
ADC expressed its gratitude and congratulations to Transportation
Secretary Norm Mineta and the DOT for taking this important step,
which sends the clear message that the government will not
tolerate illegal discrimination against airline passengers.
When this pattern of abuse emerged in the weeks following the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the DOT issued stern warnings
to all US airlines that this form of discrimination was “not
only immoral but illegal.” The charges filed against
American further underline the commitment of Secretary Mineta and
the DOT to ensure that travelers are not discriminated against on
the basis of their perceived race, ethnicity or religious
affiliation.
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ADC
4201 Connecticut Ave, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20008, U.S.A.
Tel: (202) 244-2990
Fax: (202) 244-3196
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