The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has imposed a US$4 million fine on Lufthansa for discriminating against Jewish passengers travelling from New York to Budapest via Frankfurt in May 2022. The incident involved 128 Jewish passengers, many of whom were wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish attire, who were denied boarding on their connecting flight in Germany. Lufthansa reportedly took this action based on the alleged misconduct of a few individuals on the initial flight, though the airline treated all passengers as part of a single group. Many of the passengers did not know each other or travel together.
The investigation, prompted by over 40 complaints, found that Lufthansa’s actions unfairly penalised Jewish passengers for the behaviour of a few, without distinguishing between those who followed crew instructions and those who did not. During the first leg of the journey, Lufthansa’s captain alerted security about certain passengers allegedly failing to comply with crew directions. As a result, security placed a hold on the tickets of over 100 passengers connecting to Budapest, all of whom were Jewish, and they were refused boarding in Frankfurt.
Despite not identifying any individual non-compliant passengers, Lufthansa’s staff determined it was impractical to evaluate each passenger’s behaviour individually, leading to a blanket denial of boarding for all Jewish passengers with a final destination of Budapest.
This US$4 million penalty is the largest ever issued by DOT for civil rights violations by an airline. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated, “No one should face discrimination when they travel,” adding that the DOT is committed to enforcing passengers’ civil rights and holding airlines accountable.
Lufthansa’s actions highlight the risks of unfairly treating entire groups based on the conduct of a few, particularly when the individuals affected are part of a specific ethnic or religious community. The fine serves as a strong message to airlines regarding the importance of non-discriminatory practices in air travel.
