Seven years ago the NAACP issued a ‘travel advisory’ against American Airlines, lifted in July 2018. The civil rights organization says a “troubling pattern of a failure to address harmful behaviors” at the airline has it considering reinstating the warning.
The NAACP is proud to champion efforts to hold corporations accountable. The removal of our travel advisory in 2018 came as a result of a commitment to deliver on key stipulations that would prevent future discriminatory acts, one of which was a diversity, equity, and inclusion advisory council. Amidst the resurgence of attacks on DEI, American Airlines disbanded the panel in 2023.
Recent discriminatory actions from company employees prove that there is a dire need for continued accountability and resolution to this clear pattern. We encourage American Airlines to come revive the advisory panel and reconvene with the NAACP to devise a path forward that ensures equitable experiences for all American Airlines customers. Without a swift and decisive response, the NAACP will be forced to reinstate an advisory against the airline.
In response, American Airlines offers,
At American, every customer should feel valued and represented and have a positive experience while traveling with us. We have worked with the NAACP to institute education and training programs to address issues of bias on our aircraft and within our hiring practices to eliminate bias and create a workforce and customer experience that represents the customers we serve.
There are several things that are true,
- There are over 130,000 employees of American Airlines. With any company that size there will be a few who create bad experiences, and there will be misunderstandings, as well. That’s true of other airlines and in other industries, too.
- There isn’t always consistency across behavior and service standards at the airline. In that context, some prejudices and miscommunications may come out more.
- The NAACP has never alleged anything specific systematically wrong at American Airlines which would suggest that racial discrimination is more prevalent or likely there than elsewhere.
The original NAACP travel warning was issued after Tamika Mallory, the Women’s March co-founder, was kicked off of an American flight enroute to Al Sharpton’s daughter’s wedding. She had been “screaming f-bombs…in front of kids” on the flight after her seat was changed.
Mallory left the Womens March organization over her antisemitism, pushing Jewish women out of the organization and support for Louis Farrakhan. She subsequently opposed the existence of the State of Israel, calling its founding a human rights crime.
They didn’t name Mallory in their warning because though she was influential (enough to prompt the advisory!) she also didn’t make a great front person for the campaign. But it wasn’t only Mallory they used in making their case.
- One of the other examples given by the NAACP in support of its travel warning was an African American woman moved to coach on a paid first class ticket while her white companion flew up front. Except that wasn’t true. Both passengers bought coach tickets and received free operational upgrades. The flight on which they were upgraded was cancelled, and they were both rebooked to travel the next day – onto a flight with only one first class seat available.
- Another example cited was a passenger refusing to disembark a delayed flight without access to checked luggage, as though the airline’s refusal to retrieve it was because of the passenger’s race. (I doubt they would have retrieved it for me, even when I was a ConciergeKey.)
As now, when this travel advisory was first issued American did not get defensive. They leaned into learning and being better. They did diversity trainings and their CEO made race a personal cause. None of that actually changed the passenger experience, of course.
American Airlines has diverse employees who bring those experiences with them to work. And those run headlong into modern air travel which is very small-d democratic, bringing even more passengers on planes from a variety of walks of life. These can collide. And, especially since 9/11, flying while Muslim (or writing math problems that could look like Arabic) has been challenging (as much the result of government policy as anything else).
So it’s not that there are no racists among an airline’s staff or passengers! Recently American was sued after removing 8 black men – who say they did not know each other – over a body odor complaint, and in the fall the airline falsely accused a black man of trafficking his own children. It’s the lawsuit that’s cited as the proximate cause of the NAACP’s statement.
I do think there are blind spots. American hasn’t been a place that’s consistently seemed to promote minorities into senior airline roles. One year they put out a newsletter for African American History Month with a graphic of airline employees that did not include a single one who was black!
However – fully recognizing that I might not experience it directly myself if it were a significant issue – I don’t think of American Airlines has fundamentally have race problems to a greater extent on average than other airlines and other companies though there will always be issues with individual employees.
Okay that’s a good start. Next time change the “might not” to a “would not in any way shape or form.” Better, just stop writing about this. Share that NAACP, a major organization, has issued something, and share that you’re not a CP and therefore don’t have insight into the matter. Share that you’re trying to better yourself and invite your BIPOC readers to drop links and content that will help you become an antiracist ally.
Oh and when the racist commenters come below me, delete them. Don’t make excuses. Delete and ban them.
One trick pony – the race card. Sigh
Gary, what about this story? This seems to be real discrimination unlike the examples that the NAACP cited.
https://www.dansdeals.com/more/news/airline-news/outrageous-american-airlines-ejects-17-year-old-orthodox-jew-flight-due-actions-unrelated-orthodox-jewish-passenger/
What do your contacts at AA say? From the lack of response it seems they do not have a valid thing to say?
Who cares? Mayve their corporate benefactors. NAACp has lost its credibility.
Good! Thin them out.
“The NAACP has never alleged anything specific systematically wrong at American Airlines which would suggest that racial discrimination is more prevalent or likely there than elsewhere.”
“The word ‘racism’ is like ketchup. It can be put on practically anything – and demanding evidence makes you a ‘racist.” Thomas Sowell
There are somethings about AA that have me thinking AA does have somewhat more of an issue with customers “of ‘color’” being a bit more likely to be hit by prejudice during dealings with the airline than happens in dealings with DL and UA.
First I love Thomas Sowell so it’s not like I’m some wackjob. I think the flight where they removed the black guys has a really bad look. And I agree that AA is likely no more racist than anyone else. I do think that it’s good operations to drill staff to not do things that seem racist. People get messages from society that teach them to subconsciously be racist. That is a good thing for people to be mindful of and I think it’s another example of how AA is failing. They don’t have enough DEI training. More specifically they need critical race theory training.
In other words the NAACP wants a piece of the pie. Just like Jesse Jackson and all the other race baiters
NAACP, just a bunch of shakedown goons.
Show them no quarter.
“They don’t have enough DEI training.”
Thankfully, Sowell also addressed that issue.
“The wonders of diversity are proclaimed from the media, extolled in academia and confirmed in the august chambers of the Supreme Court of the United States. But have you ever seen one speck of hard evidence to support the lofty claims?”
Nope!
No one listens to the NAACP anyways, but if they did, maybe there south beach would be less violent during spring break
Guys you have to be non white to experience racism. AA invariably puts me in the coach class line (if i ask them ” where do i go”) and I always fly first. Have done that since 1987.
White people talking of racism?? Gimme a break.
Naacp must need some more shakedown money.
@High class professional
Your victim complex is showing again.
Seriously NOBODY cares about who NCAAP boycotts. Not black people, not Asian people, not caucasian, not hispanics, not cajuns, not Uighyrs, not Jews, not Vikings, not Muslim brotherhood,… nobody cares about biased organizations.
@Suhas To test for racism, we need to know where they send the white guy who asks, “where do i go.” Maybe they assume those who ask are unlikely to be in first.
A GA treats you poorly. Did they do it because of the color of your skin? We typically don’t know, because they may treat all poorly. Because of how you acted? Don’t have enough evidence. Was it because other events overwhelmed them temporarily?
Poor treatment (not that sending you to the coach line was) and perceived poor treatment (like the inability to give an upgraded seat on a replacement flight) happens all the time. I can assume it occurs because of how I look when it happens to me, but I (like the rest of you) typically have insufficient evidence to draw a proper conclusion, even though (unlike most) I am well aware of perception biases.
A shout out the the Thomas Sowell references. If someone hasn’t read his research on this matter, I’m unlikely to learn much from them when the express opposing views.
You’ve been flying first class since 1987 and you have to ask which line you go in?
The first class boarding lines aren’t always obvious, especially if more used to the old nomenclature for the premium boarding lines.
The NAACP should issue travel warning for Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and St Louis
The NAACP is just a whiny little beach. If they issue a travel advisors on, for example, AA, then I will go out of my way to fly AA.
This article was written from a perspective of white privilege before I read to the end and saw your pic, I already knew you were a white male. And to the ignorant commenters in your comment section, it’s very apparent who you are as well. Until you’ve walked 10 steps in a person of color’s shoes, JUST STOP with the skepticism regarding OUR experience with the world. We’ve got stories….count yourself lucky that you’ll NEVER experience them. SMH
It’s way past time for the airlines and corporate America to take a hard stand on these shake down artists. I resent they or any other so called “minority” feels they deserve some sort of special considerations and/or treatments because of their self-perceived “uniqueness” that makes them some sort of target!! Grow up and get with the programs like the rest of us!
Please call for a total black boycott of AA, NAACP. Might be enough to get me flying American again lol
American Airlines couldn’t pay me to fly this racist piece of crap. They have been treating blacks this way for decades.
And yes, Dee Robins, it appears obvious you think Gary is not permitted an opinion, but you are, because of skin color. Now who is showing “privilege”?
Regarding the allegation that eight black men were kicked off a flight because one was accused of having body odor: My bullshit detector absolutely pegged out. I do not believe that happened on any U.S. airline. Period. In a time when every perceived slight by anybody, regardless of color, is captured on video there is nothing to prove this happened. Nobody caught this on their phone camera? Makes a nice story for those needing to be outraged but it didn’t happen.
@John A — The story, at least as it has so far been reported, does seem bizarre. It’s truly unimaginable that AA would kick 8 random black men off a plane for having body odor. Those are lottery odds — like one in a million, and plays into the media’s preferred “racism is everywhere” narrative. Of course, somebody does win the lottery so I suppose anything is possible. But it’s interesting that nobody — including American — is interested in telling us what ACTUALLY happened on this flight. That’s a shame, because the public deserves to know what really happened.