Michigan couple sues airline after getting kicked off flight

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan couple is suing American Airlines for discrimination after being removed from a flight because the airline said the Orthodox Jewish couple smelled bad.

Yehuda Yosef Adler, Jennie Adler and their then-19-month old daughter were kicked off a Jan. 23, 2019, flight from Miami to Detroit by a gate agent. The agent said he knew people of their race and religion, Orthodox Jews, only showered once a week, according to the lawsuit filed Jan. 28 in Texas, which is where the airline is headquartered.

American issued a statement Thursday reiterating that it removed the Southfield family after passengers and crew members complained about Yehuda Adler’s odor, the Detroit Free Press reported.

“Our team members took care of the family and provided hotel accommodations and meals, and rebooked them on a flight to Detroit the next morning,” the statement said. “None of the decisions made by our team in handling this sensitive situation were based on the Adler’s (sic) religion.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/a3a72892c7c3198995209e58431644c9

[Skittles]

1. omg

they got kicked off because they failed to practice basic hygiene, not because of their "religion"

[delisen]

2. what is basic hygiene?

[Skittles]

3. bathing enough so you don't STINK

[Progressive Jones]

6. Thank You. So many don't seem to know what that is. nt

[moriah]

15. They say they showered that morning.

Absolutely nothing in Orthodox Judaism requires people to only bathe once a week. They say that was the allegation made by the gate agent, NOT their belief.

Nor would there be any restriction on heating water or using bar soap ("transforming" something) on a Wednesday, which was the date of the flight for people who tried to follow the rules to the absolute letter.

I get that a lot of people have body odor issues and we're inclined to sympathize with the people complaining of odor and give their noses the benefit of the doubt, having our own noses assaulted in the past.

But so many people are assuming they really *did* smell, or worse, that the gate person's allegation was true (which fortunately you did not), in this thread.

Completely discounting their account that they were told there was an "emergency" to make them get off the plane, and then allegedly told that the pilot they interacted with when boarding complained of their BO, and allegedly told that everyone knew their kind didn't bathe more than once a week.

I wish we had other passengers who would be willing to be voting noses and be public, but I can understand why they wouldn't want to get involved in a lawsuit. Still, our noses weren't there. (Edit to add link to their lawsuit from Court House News, the PDF of the complaint filed is here.)

[Skittles]

17. says the issue was handled by a team

I doubt a team all decided to just boot them for no reason.

[moriah]

18. Oh, the couple is alleging there *was* a reason, just not BO.

The same reason the gate person is alleged to have opined that he "knew" Orthodox Jews "only bathed once a week". Anti-Semitism.

I'm just a little weirded out at how quickly this forum seemed to embrace that gate agent's alleged "knowledge" as this couple's actual faith path. And yeah, I know that wasn't you. Thank goodness, or I'd have been scared you'd been hacked. I know you.

[Skittles]

21. airlines are not in the business of booting passengers

passengers are how they make their money

no single gate agent could prevent boarding

[NutmegYankee]

7. Keeping clean enough to not assault others around you with a stench.

Faith does not give anyone cover to avoid treating others with respect, including not reeking with BO while in tight quarters like an airplane.

[delisen]

20. Sounds open to interpretation. Hire sniffers at airports or maybe trained dogs?

[NutmegYankee]

22. Yet somehow everyone else manages to do it.

It isn’t hard.

[Warpy]

9. Some sects refuse to use soap

I don't know the ins and outs of that, but there are liquid, vegetable oil based Kosher soaps out there, so there's really no excuse for it except adhering to rules written when all soaps were made with tallow and solid, hence the problem of the "work" of turning a solid soap into liquid suds on the Sabbath, when the ritual bath was taken.

I used to run into that once in a while in Boston. I honestly didn't find it that objectionable, but I was also used to homeless alcoholics who never washed with plain water, either. As long as it didn't involve lice or scabies, I was fine.

[christx30]

32. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be in a pressurized tube

40,000 feet up, breathing recycled air with these people. I know I do a good shower like 20 minutes before I leave for any trip. Because I'm thoughtful like that.

[democrattotheend]

35. No, read the article again

The gate agent specifically commented about how Orthodox Jews "only shower once a week." It was the gate agent who made an issue of their religion.

[groundloop]

4. I sure the hell wouldn't want to be stuck near someone who hadn't bathed in several days

It's one thing to be allowed to practice your religious beliefs, but totally different when your beliefs start having a negative impact on those around you. Sure, if you don't want to bathe, fine - but don't force people to smell you. Likewise, if you don't want to use birth control that's up to you, but don't begin to think that it's ok to deprive others of that option.

[democrattotheend]

36. Fine, but the gate agent made an issue of their religion

And painted all Orthodox Jews with a broad brush. BTW, I am not aware of any rule that prevents Orthodox Jews from showering daily. All of the Orthodox Jews I know have good hygiene.

[moreland01]

5. As someone who has

had to sit next to:

1) people who refuse to wear deodorant
2) a guy reading porn
3) a couple eating Indian food (curry)
4) a baby who threw mustard all over my suit
5) the farters!

not to mention the never-ending wailing of a small baby,

I appreciate that someone cared enough to protect the rest of us.

Now, if they were kicked off for their attire or religion, that's plain old wrong.

And I'm not even complaining about the morbidly obese seat hoggers, the ceaseless talkers, the back of the seat kickers, the loud snorers or the drunks. But I have my limits!!!

[MoonlitKnight]

31. People are going to fart

On a plane. The air pressure changes alone will cause it.

And I have found the skinniest people are more likely to hog seats and elbow poke their neighbors.

[Lonestarblue]

8. The airline was absolutely justified!

Have you ever been near fellow travelers who were so rank you had to hold something over your nose for a long flight? It’s really disgusting and almost enough to make you toss your cookies from the stench. It’s a close call for those of us with weak stomachs!

[HarlanPepper]

23. I agree.

It's a closed environment. have a little consideration for others.

[RobinA]

24. I Have

Was on Amtrak one time from NYC to Phila and the guy behind me smelled so rank I couldn’t take a deep breath. I didn’t even know it was possible for a live human to smell that bad. I couldn’t move because most of the seats were taken. Luckily he got off a couple stops south, but it was baaad!

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. Burnning question....

Did the family take a shower or bath before getting onto the 2nd plane?

If not, it sounds as if there were no complaints 2nd time around.

[eggplant]

14. THIS.

Nothing says they smelled any different the next day.

[Talitha]

11. IMO, body odor is just as bad as air pollution.

True story:
Decades ago, three of us were coming back from lunch and got stuck in the elevator (power outage) for about 1/2 hour with a delivery kid whose body odor could have choked a maggot.

We finally got back to work and started to get funky looks - the smell had soaked into our clothes and now WE smelled! I swear, it was like that Seinfeld episode with the stinky car.

Our co-workers helped out with various kinds of perfume and we smelled like frenchwhores - but it beat the heck out of that gagging BO in the elevator (which, BTW, smelled for at least a week).

So no, I don't think the airline did anything wrong. They've probably been through it all before.

[democrattotheend]

37. You don't think the airline did anything wrong?

Reread this paragraph and tell me if you still feel that way:

The agent said he knew people of their race and religion, Orthodox Jews, only showered once a week.

Maybe kicking them off the plane was justified, but there was no reason for the gate agent to say what he said about "people of their race and religion."

[Talitha]

40. "You don't think the airline did anything wrong?"

That's what I said.

And you agreed with me, too.

"Maybe kicking them off the plane was justified..."

I never mentioned their race and religion... you did.

[democrattotheend]

41. No, the gate agent did

The gate agent said he knew "people of your race and religion" only shower once per week.

[Talitha]

42. "No, the gate agent did"

Then I suggest you go speak to them about it.

[democrattotheend]

43. That's why the couple is suing, I think

Because the gate agent, acting on behalf of the airline, made discriminatory comments stereotyping Orthodox Jews. How is this ok? I am shocked that anyone on a Democratic message board thinks this is ok.

[Talitha]

44. "That' why the couple is suing, I think"

Of course it is, I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

[dalton99a]

12. Don't smell like shit in public.

[YOHABLO]

13. Thou shall not bathe. Where does it say that in the bible? People are just plain crazy.

[treestar]

28. Agree and heck isn't it uncomfortable for them?

I at least am usually uncomfortable feeling dirty.

[truthisfreedom]

16. I had a good friend who could bathe in the morning

And reek by afternoon. He refused to use deodorant/antiperspirant.

[madville]

25. No sympathy, have experienced this on a flight myself

I was on a Southwest flight into Oakland a few years ago and there was a couple in their 70s that I could smell from 5 rows away. Their clothes looked they were from the late 1960s and hadn’t been washed since then either, they looked like some old Berkeley hippies if I had to guess. Passengers were wrapping garments around their faces to try to filter out the BO stench.

[Devil Child]

26. Airline made the correct decision.

Seems like a vindictive and frivolous lawsuit to me considering they received compensation of another flight plus hotel and meals.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. A relevant part of the Detroit Free Press report

“Plaintiffs were distraught and even though embarrassing, approached persons in the same area of the boarding gate asking them if they could detect unpleasant body odor from any of the Adler family and each and every person (more than 20 people) answered in the negative,” the lawsuit states.

https://eu.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2020/01/30/orthodox-jewish-family-booted-off-flight-odor-sue-american-airlines/2859809001/

If they've got any record of that, or if any airline staff witnessed it and will admit it, this is an indictment of the airline.

[TexasBushwhacker]

33. It's difficult to tell people they stink to their face

Frankly, I would have a hard time telling a flight attendant that another passenger smelled foul.

[milestogo]

29. I'm trying to comprehend the spiritual value of only showering once a week.

I have never heard that this is a practice of Orthodox Jews.

[Danmel]

30. It isn't

[keithbvadu2]

34. I remember a flight sitting beside a woman who bathed in perfume.

I remember a flight sitting beside a woman who bathed in perfume.

It did not cover up her stink.

It was just an additional smell.

[tavernier]

38. I was in a grocery store in Paris and an old Gypsy couple walked in.

They wore a multitude of garments, strolled smiling arm in arm, and reeked of aged cheese, something like Roquefort. They cleared the room within minutes. If I had been on a plane with them I would have been asphyxiated.

[MicaelS]

39. I used to have a female coworker slightly older than me (62)..

When she walked into my office, I could smell her because she reeked of perfume.

Eventually someone spoke to her, and she quit completely.