The department of transportation has slapped Delta Air Lines with a fine for discriminatory conduct against three Muslim passengers it forced off flights.
It fined Delta $50,000 and said it violated anti-discrimination laws by removing the three passengers.
It relates to two incidents within just five days.
In the first incident a Muslim couple made a fellow passenger ‘very uncomfortable and nervous’ as the woman was wearing a headscarf and the man was texting using the word ‘Allah,’ a flight attendant said.
They were removed from the plane in Paris.
Delta’s corporate security cleared them to fly as they were US citizens and not a flight risk with ‘no red flags.’
However, the captain refused to let them reboard the flight.
The captain did not follow Delta’s security protocol.
"But for Mr and Mrs X’s perceived religion, Delta would not have removed or denied them reboarding" the DOT said.
A second similar incident happened a few days later in Amsterdam.
A Muslim man was removed after concerns by other passengers and flight attendants.
The captain had the man removed despite getting another ‘no red flags’ clearance from Delta security.
The DOT ordered Delta employees involved in the incidents to undergo cultural sensitivity training.
Delta denied it was discriminatory but conceded ‘each of these two incidents could have been handled differently.’
