American Airlines Under Fire After Kicking Family off Plane Due to 'Body Odor'
American Airlines kicked a family from Michigan off a flight Wednesday after passengers and crew members complained that the family smelled bad — but the husband and father is claiming he was discriminated against because the family is Jewish.
Yossi Adler and his wife, Jennie, along with their 19-month-old daughter were flying from Miami to Detroit Wednesday night and had boarded the flight with every intention of making the trip as planned, NBC News reported Thursday.
Adler believes the airline discriminated against them for being Jewish.
“There’s a religious reason for some reason that they’re kicking me off the plane. We don’t have odor, OK? Nobody here has odor,” Adler said, according to NBC.
Passengers complained, however, that the family emitted a strong unpleasant odor, according to the airline.
Crew members also noticed and complained of the smell, the airline maintains, according to NBC.
“The Adler family were asked to deplane last night after several passengers, along with our crew members, complained about their body odor,” American Airlines said in a statement, according to NBC.
“The family were provided hotel accommodations and meals, and re-booked on a flight to Detroit today.”
Adler insists he and his wife bathe every day and that they do not smell bad.
He also cast doubt on the airline’s statement, saying that no crew members ever told the family which one of them smelled or if the bad “odor” emitted from all the family members.
The story drew strong reactions on social media.
Yossi Adler and his family were seated on a Miami-to-Detroit flight when ground crew asked them to step off the plane. American Airlines says they were booted over complaints of body odor. But the Adlers say they were singled out because they are Jewish. https://t.co/gaYEWcuI8j
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 25, 2019
Feel bad for the employee. Would like to hear from the passengers that complained before this blows up into a lawsuit.
— EA1975 (@EricAnd72582826) January 25, 2019
Did he announce he is Jewish ? People don’t no and don’t care. He’s embarrassed and has dollar signs in his eyes. Maybe whole thing was calculated. If all else fails..tell discrimination.
— Victoria Sloan (@Michell46060216) January 26, 2019
Probably some anti-semetic @womensmarch people on the plane.
— AmericanVeganGuns (@tofukalashnikov) January 25, 2019
Yes I would love to hear from the passengers who complained about the odor. I would bet they are deleting years of racist rants they have on their twitter page, just in case 🙁
— Lorettarobin (@Lorettarobin124) January 26, 2019
0nce I drove a group of teenagers & their chaperone to airport right after a game. No shower. They stunk. I often wondered what that airplane smelt like & how the people who sat near them felt. I couldn’t breath. I am not commenting on American Air & this family. Just sharing.
— Elizabeth Resko (@elizabethresko) January 25, 2019
This story smells fishy.
— KLAID (@maddgrandma) January 25, 2019
The family successfully flew back to Detroit Thursday.
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