US fines Lufthansa $4 million for treatment of Orthodox Jewish passengers on a 2022 flight

Lufthansa fined record $4 million for discriminating against Jewish passengers

Lufthansa fined for violating 128 Jewish passengers’ civil rights

Lufthansa agrees to a record $4 million fine for its treatment of Jewish passengers

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U.S. Fines Lufthansa Record $4 Million For Allegedly Discriminating Against Jewish Passengers

Lufthansa fined $4 million for blocking 128 Jewish passengers from boarding flight

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined Lufthansa $4M for allegedly discriminating against Jewish passengers in May 2022. This marks the largest civil rights penalty ever issued against an airline.

It's alleged that Germany's flagship airline denied 128 Orthodox Jewish passengers boarding on a connecting flight from Frankfurt to Budapest, despite many not knowing each other or traveling together.

Lufthansa staff reportedly treated the Jewish passengers as a single group and prevented them from boarding due to the alleged misbehavior of a few individuals on the initial flight from New York.

The New York Times

Video evidence showed them telling passengers that "everyone has to pay" for the mistakes of a few, with "everyone" reportedly implying the Jewish passengers traveling from JFK.

The Jerusalem Post

The DOT said it received over 40 discrimination complaints from Jewish passengers after the incident. Following an investigation, it concluded that Lufthansa had discriminated against the passengers based on religion.

Lufthansa denied the allegation, but reportedly took corrective steps like adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism and partnering with the American Jewish Committee to create training programs for staff.

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The DOT's action sends a clear message that discrimination in the air travel industry won't be tolerated. The Lufthansa staff's behavior involved a blatant violation of civil rights. The airline's subsequent efforts to address antisemitism and discrimination are necessary to prevent future incidents.

CNN #

This incident was caused by miscommunication and misjudgement, not intentional discrimination. Lufthansa has fully cooperated with the DOT review process and taken proactive measures to improve its practices. The airline remains committed to being an ambassador of goodwill, tolerance, diversity, and acceptance.

Al Jazeera

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Lufthansa pays record $4m fine for barring Jewish passengers from flight

There's a 50% chance that at least 119K US Jews will move to Israel by 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Lufthansa Fined $4M For Refusing to Board Jewish Passengers

Lufthansa Fined $4M For Refusing to Board Jewish Passengers

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Lufthansa Fined $4M For Refusing to Board Jewish Passengers

Lufthansa Fined $4M For Refusing to Board Jewish Passengers

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