German airline Lufthansa was fined $4 million for discrimination against Hasidic Jewish passengers from the United States.
In May 2022, the airline denied boarding to 128 Jewish passengers, most of whom were visibly Orthodox, citing the inappropriate behavior of some individuals.
The incident back in 2022
The incident occurred when the passengers, en route from New York to Budapest, were trying to board a connecting flight in Germany. The passengers, all U.S. citizens traveling to visit a rabbi's grave in Hungary, said they did not know one another and were not traveling as a group but were treated as such and barred from boarding.
Lufthansa denied the allegations but has since cooperated with the U.S. Department of Transportation and implemented an anti-discrimination training program in collaboration with the American Jewish Committee.
About six months after the incident, it was reported that Lufthansa would compensate each of the 128 passengers with $21,000.
The fine imposed on the airline is the largest ever levied by the U.S. Department of Transportation against an airline. "Based on the alleged misconduct of some passengers, Lufthansa prohibited 128 Jewish passengers – most of whom wore distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men – from boarding their connecting flight in Germany. Despite many of the passengers not knowing each other nor traveling together," the decision read.
Some members of the group had reportedly violated the airline's mask policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Lufthansa staff told the passengers that everyone has to pay for the mistakes, referring to them as "Jews coming from JFK." German media at the time reported that the crew had prohibited anyone who appeared to be Orthodox from boarding the plane.
Lufthansa apologizes to Berlin Chief Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg remarked, "No one should face discrimination when they travel, and today’s action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are prepared to investigate and take action whenever passengers’ civil rights are violated."
NBC reported that Lufthansa had fully cooperated with the Department of Transportation during the investigation, in addition to working with the American Jewish Committee.
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