WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Transportation Department announced that it has fined German airline Lufthansa $4 million due to the airline’s handling of a group of Jewish passengers who were denied boarding on a connecting flight from Frankfurt in 2022, after arriving from New York.
This penalty marks the largest civil rights violation fine ever imposed by the Transportation Department against an airline. However, Lufthansa was credited $2 million for compensation it provided to the affected passengers, which effectively halved the total fine to $2 million.
During the incident, 128 out of the original group of 131 passengers were denied boarding. Many of these travelers were dressed in traditional attire commonly associated with Orthodox Jewish men. Despite not being acquainted or traveling together, the passengers reported feeling they were collectively punished due to alleged misbehavior by a few individuals. Investigators noted this treatment was a significant factor in the decision to impose the fine.
The group was en route from New York to Budapest for an annual memorial event dedicated to an Orthodox rabbi. Some passengers recalled flight attendants informing them of regulations regarding face mask usage and rules against congregating in aisles or around emergency exits during their initial flight, yet the crew did not single out any passengers for noncompliance. Lufthansa attributed the lack of identification of these passengers to the high number of reported violations and the fact that many individuals exchanged seats during the flight.
The incidents that led to the denied boarding began when the captain reported passenger misconduct to Lufthansa’s security team. According to a consent order, this action initiated the series of events that resulted in the denial of boarding for all 128 passengers.
Lufthansa has firmly rejected any claims of discrimination arising from this incident, arguing that no staff acted with bias. Nonetheless, the airline acknowledged some procedural errors and miscommunication on its part. In 2022, Lufthansa reached a settlement with most of the affected passengers in relation to the incident.
