One of the executive departments of the US federal government has imposed a penalty of $4 million on a major German airline for purportedly discriminating against a group of Jewish travelers.
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) released a statement indicating that Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Lufthansa) denied boarding to 128 Jewish passengers, the majority of whom were dressed in traditional Orthodox Jewish attire, for their connecting flight in Germany in May 2022.
According to US officials, there have been more than 40 official complaints of discrimination filed by Jewish passengers who had purchased tickets for a flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to Budapest, Hungary, with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany.
The investigation conducted by the United States Department of Transportation into the complaints revealed that Lufthansa barred an entire group of Jewish passengers from proceeding with their journey to Budapest due to alleged misconduct by a select few. Media sources indicated that certain individuals reportedly did not adhere to the airline’s regulations mandating the use of face masks.
US DOT stated that, “Due to the alleged misbehavior of some passengers,” Lufthansa personnel “treated them all as if they were a single group and denied them boarding,” even though many passengers were unfamiliar with one another and were not traveling as a unit.
At that time, local German media reported that the airline’s staff specifically excluded passengers identifiable as Jewish, as they were wearing skull caps or had sidelocks. A video of the incident purportedly captured Lufthansa staff informing passengers that “everyone has to pay” for the actions of a few.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has imposed the largest fine in its history on Lufthansa for acts of discrimination.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized, “No individual should encounter discrimination while traveling, and today’s decision conveys a strong message to the airline sector that we are committed to investigating and taking action whenever passengers’ civil rights are infringed upon.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, Lufthansa indicated that it had fully cooperated with the DOT throughout the investigation process following the incident.
The German airline expressed its regret over the occurrence at that time, asserting its “zero tolerance for racism, antisemitism, and any form of discrimination.” Subsequently, the company announced that it had reached a settlement with the majority of the Jewish passengers who were barred from boarding their flight.