Lawsuit Alleges American Airlines Flight Attendants Removed eight black Men Off Flight Because They Were 'Smelly'

Three of the men, Alvin Jackson (left), Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal (right) are suing the airline, claiming they were traumatized by the experience

A lawsuit claims that every black male passenger on an American Airlines flight was singled out and ordered off the aircraft after a crew member complained about body odor.

The eight men, who did not know each other, had boarded Flight 832 at Phoenix Airport for a five-hour flight to New York JFK in January. They were seated in different parts of the plane but were all removed after a white male flight attendant made a complaint about "offensive body odor," according to the suit.

Despite staff searching for an alternative flight for an hour, no arrangements could be made, and the men were asked to reboard and retake their seats.

Eight black men, who were traveling separately, were ordered off an American Airlines flight in January after an attendant complained about body odor, according to a lawsuit

"I knew that as soon as I got on that plane, a sea of white faces were going to be looking at me and blaming me for their late flight of an hour," said Emmanuel Jean Joseph. Jean Joseph, Alvin Jackson, and Xavier Veal had each taken a connecting flight from Los Angeles before boarding in Phoenix.

Veal began recording the incident on his phone after noticing that only the black passengers were being removed. "I started freaking out," he said.

The video shows staff struggling to find an alternative flight, with one man calling the incident "un-f***ing-professional" and another noting, "This ain't no random pick." A black American Airlines attendant at the desk acknowledged the racial aspect, saying, "I do not disagree with you."

The remaining passengers were allegedly told of the supposed reason for the removal before the eight men were asked to get back on the plane and retake their seats

Three of the men spoke at baggage claim at the end of the flight and subsequently lodged a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday.

"They had to re-board the plane and endure the stares of the largely white passengers who viewed them as the cause of the substantial delay," the lawsuit claims. "They suffered during the entire flight home, and the entire incident was traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading."

American Airlines has not provided an explanation for the removal but stated, "We take all claims of discrimination very seriously. We want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us. Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people."

One American Airlines staffer appeared to agree with the suggestion that the move was racist

Lawyers for the men are eager to hear the airline's account. "It's almost inconceivable to come up with an explanation for that other than the color of their skin," said attorney Sue Huhta. "Particularly since they didn't know each other and weren't sitting near each other."

The lawsuit cites other recent allegations of discrimination by the carrier and references a 2017 NAACP travel advisory warning against flying on American Airlines due to multiple instances of alleged discrimination.

"Somebody should have stepped up and said, 'Wait a minute. We can't do this. This is wrong,'" said Michael Kirkpatrick of the Public Citizen law group. "But instead, nobody stepped up and intervened to stop it from happening."

The lawsuit alleges that other passengers were informed the men were removed due to an odor. "We're walking through the aisle of shame, if you will," said Veal. "It was horrible. It was a really traumatic experience. Unfortunately, I'm a black man and I live in America."