Eight Black Men Suing American Airlines After Thrown Off Flight

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Although records show African-Americans spent more than $9 billion on cosmetics (including cologne, deodorant and perfumes in 2023), eight Black men on American Airlines flight 832 recently filed a lawsuit, after they were thrown off of a January 2024 flight for “having body odor.”

According to news reports, the men – who were not traveling nor sitting together nor knew each other beforehand – were told to leave the flight one by one. Only afterwards did each learn of the other seven accused men. An American Airlines representative told the eight accused Black men that a complaint about body odor had prompted their removal, according to the recent lawsuit that is substantiated by cell phone footage. None of the plaintiffs were told that they personally had body odor, “and in fact none of the plaintiffs had offensive body odor,” it said.

At least one American Airlines representative agreed with the plaintiffs when they suggested that they had been singled out because they were Black, the suit alleges.

“So this is discrimination,” one of the men thrown off of the flight said.

“I agree, I agree,” said a woman wearing a badge who appears to be an airline employee, in a cell phone video.

According to recent news reports, the plaintiffs are Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal – and five other Black male passengers, who were ejected from American Flight 832 from Phoenix to JFK in New York City on January 5, 2024, “without any valid reason, based solely on their race,” according to the complaint.

In one video, a man comments, “This is crazy. Y’all just took like eight Black people off the plane.”

This recent incident comes on the heels of a 2017 travel advisory warning issued against American Airlines by the NAACP. The NAACP warning cited four disturbing passenger removals of Black passengers. While the 2017 NAACP warning was lifted nine months later after the airline made progress in addressing the organization’s concerns, this recent incident suggests a troubling racial-profiling pattern.

The recent incident brings a trademark Eleanor Roosevelt quote sharply into focus: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” The lawsuit does not cite specific damage amounts but the lawsuit says American Airlines representatives told the men a complaint about body odor had prompted their removal.