Lufthansa given record £3,000,000 fine for barring Jewish passengers from flight

Lufthansa has been slapped with a record fine after it barred a group of Jewish passengers from boarding their flight.

The US Department of Transportation hit the the airline with a $4,000,000 (£3,000,000) fine over the alleged discrimination.

The fine is said to be the largest ever issued against any airline for civil rights violations.

Lufthansa was accused of treating the Jewish passengers – many who were not travelling together and were strangers – as if ‘they were all a single group,’ BBC News reports.

The flag carrier of Germany said it agreed to the payment to avoid litigation – but it denied discrimination.

It blamed the incident on an ‘unfortunate series of inaccurate communications,’ according to the broadcaster.

Lufthansa told Metro its longstanding mission is to connect people and cultures and as an aviation group ‘our diversity of people and passengers is one of our greatest strengths,’ adding that it has an antisemitism and discrimination training for staff and manager.

The American Jewish Committee described the incident at Frankfurt Airport as ‘deeply upsetting.’

It said Lufthansa has taken ‘decisive steps’ since then to ‘ensure that such an event does not occur again.’

The barred passengers wore Orthodox Jewish garb

The incident unravelled in May 2022 when passengers tried to travel from New York to Budapest via Frankfurt.

Many of the passengers were reportedly male wearing ‘distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men,’ the DOT said. They had used a handful of travel agencies to book their tickets.

But during the first flight, the captain alerted Lufthansa security claiming some passengers had failed to follow crew instructions requiring masks and barring gathering in aisles and other places on board the plane.

More than 100 passengers had their tickets put on hold following the alert – meaning they were blocked from their connecting flights.

While the department said Lufthansa recognised that the action would hurt those who had followed instructions, the airline ‘concluded it was not practical to address each passenger individually.’

Majority of the blocked passengers were rebooked on other flights the same day, the BBC reports.

Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation, said on X his department issued the ‘largest penalty in US DOT history against an airline for violating passengers’ civil rights.’

‘No one should face discrimination when they travel, and our department is prepared to use our authorities to ensure that’s the case,’ he added.

A spokesperson for Lufthansa told Metro: ‘Lufthansa is a respected corporate citizen, playing a meaningful role in shaping a more inclusive society. Following the May 2022 incident involving our Jewish passengers, Lufthansa has fully cooperated with the DOT throughout its review process.

‘We remain focused on the many efforts which have been initiated including, partnering with American Jewish Committee (AJC), a highly respected and globally recognized advocacy organization and thought leader. Through our ongoing collaboration, we have curated a first-of-its kind training program in the airline industry for our managers and employees to address antisemitism and discrimination. 

‘Lufthansa is dedicated to being an ambassador of goodwill, tolerance, diversity, and acceptance. As the first airline to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, Lufthansa will continue to foster a thoughtful dialogue with Jewish communities and organizations around the world.

‘Furthermore, we will continue to provide excellence in service to our valued customers and remain a reliable partner globally.’

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