The ejection of 8 Black passengers from an American Airlines flight after a complaint about body "odor" was "unacceptable," the company's CEO said in a memo to staff, some of whom have been suspended over the incident.
CEO Robert Isom said he is currently working to "rebuild trust" among Black customers.
The passengers, reportedly all the Black men on board, were not traveling together, nor were they seated together when they were ordered off the plane in Phoenix on a flight headed to New York iin January.
Three of the passengers last month filed a federal lawsuit against the airline, arguing they were victims of "blatant and egregious racial discrimination."
One of the men recorded a conversation with an airline employee who said that a while male flight attendant had complained about "offensive body odor," according to the suit.
The booted passengers were allowed to reboard the flight about an hour later.
"I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures," CEO Robert Isom wrote of the "unacceptable incident" to staff in a memo obtained by National Public Radio.
"It contradicts our values. ... We fell short of our commitments and failed our customers in this incident," he added.
An unspecified number of staff have been suspended, though details about a possible return to work were not provided by the airline. Nor was it clear if the suspensions followed the lawsuit, or occurred earlier.
"We are holding those involved accountable, including removing team members from service," an airline spokesperson told the Associated Press.
The company is also forming an advisory group to focus on the experience of Black customers, promoting the reporting of discrimination allegations, and improving diversity training to "focus on real-world situations to help recognize and address bias and discrimination," Isom wrote.
NEW: American Airlines suspends employees who removed eight black passengers from a plane over an 'offensive' odor complaint
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) June 21, 2024
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told staff this week that he is 'incredibly disappointed' and that they 'failed their customers'
He also mentioned that… pic.twitter.com/lFq1FobEJM
Isom noted that he also reached out to NAACP CEO and President Derrick Johnson.
Johnson told NPR that he is pleased American has taken initial steps to "forge a path towards a more inclusive experience for all."
The NAACP issued an advisory warning in 2017 for Black travelers to be cautious about flying on the airline because of racial incidents at the time. It was later dropped after changes by the airline.
