Four flight attendants have filed a federal lawsuit in New York against Delta Airlines Tuesday alleging that the American carrier’s management discriminated Jewish or Israelis.
The plaintiffs have said Delta Airlines has “an anti-Jewish, and anti Israeli bias,” specifically on flights between NYC and Tel Aviv, according to TMZ.
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The flight attendants have been long-time employees ranging from 10 to 40 years, say they were denied promotions, harassed or unfairly disciplined because of their religion or nationality.
Delta managers, plaintiffs said, “operate under an express assumption that ethnic Jews and Israelis … cannot be trusted, are aggressive and inappropriate, and engage in what are deemed to be ‘strange’ behaviors by conducting prayers on the flight and requiring special dietary accommodations.”
According to the report, the company allegedly fired a flight attendant in March 2017 because she is Jewish. Delta claims it was because she missed her flight. The woman says she was granted leave for a medical emergency as she was on pregnancy at the time.
The plaintiffs also allege that work benefits of one Delta employee were plainly revoked because she shared her “Travel Companion” pass with a Jewish friend, noting that other attendents had been passed up for promotions and were subject to a “hostile” and “intimidating environment.”
A non-Jewish plaintiff claims that she was suspended without pay and demoted becouse she shared her Delta travelers companion pass with her 40 years Jewish friend. Delta accused her of violating company policy for the pass.
The plaintiffs are suing for damages and asking for the fired flight attendant to be reinstated and for the promotion of their demoted colleague.
“Delta strongly condemns the allegations of discrimination described in this suit and will defend itself vigorously against them,” Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said in response to the lawsuit.
“As a global airline that brings people across the world together every day, Delta values diversity in all aspects of its business and has zero tolerance for discrimination.”