United states

US authorities have hit Lufthansa with a record $4 million penalty after finding the airline barred over 100 Jewish travellers from boarding a flight in 2022, officials said on Tuesday. The Department of Transportation (DOT) said Lufthansa discriminated against the Jewish passengers, treating them as a single group. However, passengers were not travelling together and did not know one another.

Advertisment

The authorities said that the passengers were denied boarding a connecting flight after a few did not follow the instructions of anti-Covid mask requirements on a flight from the US to Germany. 

The US Department of Transportation also said that the penalty for discrimination against Jewish passengers was the largest it had issued for a civil rights violation. Many people were wearing a different grab, typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men, according to DOT. The authorities said in a filing that Lufthansa denied boarding to everyone for the apparent misbehaviour of a few travellers. 

Also Read | Indian EAM S Jaishankar takes a jab at Pakistan at SCO. Here's what he said

Advertisment

The episode involved passengers travelling from New York to Budapest, with a connecting flight in Frankfurt, in May 2022. The problem began when the captain of the first flight alerted Lufthansa security that few passengers did not follow guidelines, including wearing face masks and barring gathering in aisles. This alert led to the holds on tickets of more than 100 travellers, all Jewish, blocking them from boarding their connecting flights.

DOT authorities received more than 40 discrimination complaints from Jewish passengers in this case. DOT said Lufthansa acknowledged that the action would harm those who complied with the requirements but concluded that it was impractical to address every passenger individually. The majority of passengers were rebooked on the other flights the same day. 

Also Read | Georgia judge temporarily halts controversial ballot hand-counting rule

Advertisment

Lufthansa told DOT that it has publicly apologised on several occasions for barring the passengers from continuing their travel. It also said in the consent order that it was agreeing to the payment to avoid litigation, but the airline denied that any of its employees engaged in discrimination against its travellers.

The airline said, "Lufthansa is dedicated to being an ambassador of goodwill, tolerance, diversity, and acceptance.” It also said that it had cooperated with this case and had always focused on training its staff. 

The DOT asked the airline to pay $2 million and would give the airline credit for $ 2 million, which it has already paid to travellers as a part of legal procedure. 

(With inputs from agencies)