In response to several recent incidents that have involved alleged racial discrimination toward its passengers, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom says he is taking action to “rebuild trust” within the company.
In a letter that was addressed to employees and obtained by NPR, Isom wrote that he wanted to address an “unacceptable incident” where eight Black male passengers were removed and later reboarded from an American Airlines flight in January. Isom states that the unfortunate incident “contradicts” the airline’s values and what it stands for.
Isom wrote: “I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures. We fell short of our commitments and failed our customers in this incident.”
NPR had reported last month that three Black men had come forward and filed a federal lawsuit against American Airlines, in which they alleged that they were victims of “blatant and egregious racial discrimination” after they were removed from a January 5 flight from Phoenix to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airports. The plaintiffs – Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal — have said that they and five other Black male passengers were removed from the flight “without any valid reason, based solely on their race.”
The eight men did not know each other and were not seated together on the flight.
Isom’s letter has outlined several steps the airline will take to “strengthen the diversity and inclusion” at the company. These included:
- Creating an advisory board that would focus on improving the travel experience of Black customers
- reviewing and enhancing the company’s internal reporting processes for cases involving alleged discrimination and bias
- Reevaluating its policies, practices, protocols, and organization culture to recognize and identify areas in which they could grow and improve
- and to educate its employees to “recognize and address bias and discrimination.”
Additionally, Isom wrote in his letter that he spoke with Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP, about the civil rights organization’s concerns during the most recent lawsuits against the airline. Isom has thanked Johnson for sharing his concerns and viewpoints and added that discrimination of any type is “unacceptable” and will not be tolerated within the company.
In a statement to NPR, Johnson said he is pleased that American Airlines has taken steps to “forge a path towards a more inclusive experience for all.”
Johnson stated, “While it is unfortunately common for Black consumers to experience racism and discrimination at the hands of corporations, it is not common to see such swift and decisive action.” Johnson added that he hopes his approach will serve as a model for other corporations who may find themselves in similar situations.
American Airlines did not respond to NPR’s request for a comment on the letter or whether the employees involved in the incident would be terminated. Representatives for the three men – Jackson, Joseph, and Veal – also did not respond to NPR’s request for comments.
Concerns that involved instances of racial discrimination have followed American Airlines for years, which resulted in the NAACP issuing an advisory warning in 2017 for Black travelers to be cautious about doing business with the airline.
The airline’s chairman at the time, Doug Parker, responded by saying the company did not and “will not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” which resulted in the NAACP’s advisory being lifted in 2018.
