US fines Germany’s Lufthansa record US$4 million for treatment of Jewish passengers
128 travellers, many of whom did not know each other, were denied boarding in 2022 over the alleged misbehaviour of a few passengers
The United States fined German airline Lufthansa US$4 million for its treatment of a group of Jewish passengers who were denied boarding a 2022 flight in Frankfurt after they had flown to Germany from New York.
The US Transportation Department said on Tuesday that the fine is the largest the agency has issued against an airline for civil-rights violations, although Lufthansa was given credit for US$2 million for compensation it gave the passengers, cutting the fine in half.
The department said most of the 128 passengers who were denied boarding “wore distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men”.
Although many did not know each other and were not travelling together, they told investigators that Lufthansa treated them as if they were a group and denied boarding to all over alleged misbehaviour by a few passengers.
They were among 131 passengers who were flying from New York through Frankfurt to Budapest to attend an annual memorial event to honour an Orthodox rabbi.
Some said flight attendants told them on the first flight about the requirement to wear a face mask and not to gather in aisles or near emergency exits.
