US slaps Lufthansa with $4m fine for bias against Jewish passengers

The US Transportation Department (USDOT) announced on Tuesday a $4 million penalty on Lufthansa for discriminating against Jewish passengers on a flight from New York to Budapest in May 2022.

According to the USDOT, 128 Jewish passengers, nearly all of whom were wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing, were denied boarding a connecting flight in Germany due to alleged misbehavior by a small number of passengers. Despite many of the passengers being strangers and traveling independently, Lufthansa treated them as a single group and held all of them responsible for the actions of a few.

“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,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement.

Lufthansa denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement to avoid legal action. The airline will pay a $2 million fine and receive credit for $2 million in compensation it has already paid to the affected passengers.

Attribution: The US Transportation Department & Reuters