More than 120 passengers were banned from boarding a flight in 2022 due to non-compliance with some rules such as wearing a mask. While many did not travel together, they reported being treated as one group.
US authorities have fined Lufthansa a record $4 million for discriminating against 128 Jewish passengers banned from boarding a flight in 2022, the US Department of Transportation said on Tuesday.
On May 3, 2022, these passengers from the United States were refused boarding during a stopover in Frankfurt due to non-compliance by some with rules such as wearing a mask against Covid.
While many were not traveling together, passengers told investigators they were treated as if they were one group.
40 complaints transmitted
Lufthansa denied boarding “to everyone due to the misconduct of a few, because they were openly and visibly Jewish,” said the US Department of Transportation. The majority of these people were able to take another plane during the day.
Contacted by AFP, the German airline did not immediately react. Lufthansa said it had already issued a public apology, but denies any discriminatory intent on the part of its employees.
More than 40 complaints have been sent to the US Department of Transportation in connection with this matter. According to US authorities, the fine imposed on Lufthansa for civil rights violations is the heaviest ever imposed by the US Department of Transportation.
