Airline U.S. Airways has been accused of refusing to let two young African American men into first class until they changed their clothes into more “appropriate attire.”
Brothers McCraig and
Miles Warren are suing the airline for discrimination, claiming that when
they tried to board the plane in Denver, they were repeatedly told by an
employee that their outfit – jeans, hooded sweatshirts and baseball caps
violated an alleged first-class dress code.
According to the federal
discrimination lawsuit filed on Wednesday they were told to change into
b*tton-down shirts, dress shoes and slacks if they wanted to sit in first class
and were told that was the airline’s policy.
The men went to the
bathroom and changed before boarding the plane bound for Los Angeles. They were
shocked however to discover two young men in first class – one Caucasian and
one Filipino – wearing jeans and hooded sweatshirts.
Upon questioning the two
men, the men revealed that they were “not instructed to change their clothes
prior to boarding, nor at any time during the flight.”
The Warrens say they were
shocked, humiliated and confused by what happened and are seeking punitive
damages.
U.S Airways spokesperson
Andrew Christie told AlterNet: “We welcome customers of all ethnicities and
backgrounds and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We take these
allegations seriously.
“Initial indications are
that these pass-riders were traveling on non-revenue tickets as part of our
employee travel program. All employees and pass-riders are expected to comply
with the policies associated with this travel privilege.”
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