Lufthansa agreed to pay a $4 million fine for alleged discrimination against Jewish passengers, according to Euractiv.
The passengers were trying to board a connecting flight in Frankfurt in May 2022, the US Transportation Department reported on Tuesday, 15 October. Lufthansa barred 128 Jewish passengers from boarding based on alleged inappropriate behaviour by some of them.
Although many of them did not know each other or had not travelled together, passengers interviewed by DOT investigators said Lufthansa treated them as if they belonged to the same group.
Under the consent order, Lufthansa agreed to pay $2 million, with the DOT saying it credited the airline for the $2 million it paid in compensation to the passengers. However, the company denied that any of its employees discriminated against passengers.
The airline stated that the incident “resulted from an unfortunate series of inaccurate communications, misinterpretations, and misjudgments throughout the decision-making process.” Lufthansa said in a statement on Tuesday that it had fully co-operated with the DOT since the incident in 2022 and continued its many efforts, including working with the American Jewish Committee.
The fine was the largest ever issued against an airline for civil rights violations, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
No one should face discrimination when they travel, and today’s action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are prepared to investigate and take action whenever passengers’ civil rights are violated.
