The passengers were treated “as if they were all a single group” by Lufthansa, according to the Department of Transportation, despite the fact that many of them were not traveling together and did not know one another.
It claimed that the fine was the biggest it had ever imposed on an airline for violating civil rights.
In the agreement decree, Lufthansa agreed to the payment in order to avoid legal action, but it denied any discrimination and blamed “an unfortunate series of inaccurate communications” for the occurrence.
“Lufthansa is dedicated to being an ambassador of goodwill, tolerance, diversity, and acceptance,” the business stated.
stating that it had assisted with the probe and continued to prioritize staff training.
In the episode, passengers were traveling in May 2022 from New York to Budapest, with a stopover in Frankfurt.
“Distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men” was worn by many of the male passengers, who had purchased their tickets from the same few travel agencies, the news reported.
The captain informed Lufthansa security during the first flight that certain passengers had disregarded crew orders to wear masks and refrain from congregating in the aisles and other areas of the aircraft.
