Andrew Long | (TNS) The Dallas Morning News
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom is promising bias and discrimination training for employees and a new advisory group focused on Black customers after eight Black men — who didn’t know one another and were not sitting together — were removed from a flight in May over a “body odor” complaint.
A representative from American said that the airline has removed the employees involved in the incident from service.
Isom sent a letter to all 108,000 employees at the Fort Worth-based company Tuesday, writing that he was “incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures.”
“It contradicts our values, what we stand for, who we are and our purpose of caring for people on life’s journey,” Isom wrote. “We fell short of our commitments and failed our customers in this incident. As a team, we have committed to listen, learn and grow — and together, build a welcoming culture for our team members and customers. This work is driven by accountability and our leadership attributes — a core tenet of which is caring.”
Three of the men filed a lawsuit for discrimination, the latest in a series of controversies involving Black passengers on American Airlines flights, the latest of which prompted a warning from the NAACP that it may issue a travel advisory against the carrier if conditions do not improve.
Isom said the new advisory group will help “maintain standards, define processes and escalation procedures, measure our actions and improve feedback loops to ensure that we fulfill our commitments to Black travelers.” The airline will also review its training manuals and internal reporting process, the letter said.
According to the letter, Isom has spoken with NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson about the incident and the company’s path forward and is “steadfast” in its commitment to working with civil rights groups. Isom also wrote that Chief Diversity Officer Cedric Rockmore will follow up with a more comprehensive plan.
The NAACP has a complicated history with the airline. After the incident in May, the organization warned American to respond hastily and threatened to reinstate a travel advisory against the airline. The original advisory — lifted in 2018 — was leveled in 2017 after “reports of hostility” toward Black passengers, prompting American to create a panel focused on improving diversity that Johnson said the airline disbanded in 2023.
The airline has seen numerous racial discrimination controversies since the ban was lifted. In October 2023, a Black guitarist was accused of human trafficking his two biracial sons on a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles. In January of this year Team USA track star Sha’Carri Richardson was confronted while making a video during pre-flight announcements, while rapper Talib Kweli was threatened with arrest and removed from a flight after an argument with a flight attendant over the size of his luggage.
“This commitment [to inclusion] requires us all to strive for improvement to ensure that every passenger feels welcomed, valued and safe when they choose to fly with American,” the letter says.
The NAACP did not respond to requests for comment about its collaboration with American Airlines.
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