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A Michigan couple is suing American Airlines after being booted from a plane before takeoff due to their “body odor,” according to court filings in a Texas federal court. The couple, Yehuda Yosef Adler and Jennie Adler, who are both Jewish, were flying from Miami to Detroit when they were removed from the plane. According to the suit, the Adlers were told it was due to the way they smelled.
The Adlers, counter to what the airline has stated, claim in court filings that they both showered that morning, and that numerous people in the airport they asked after the incident told them that they couldn’t notice any particular smell emanating from them. Instead, the Adlers believe they, and their then-19-month-old daughter, were kicked off of the plane due to their religion.
Jennie Adler, according to court filings, was wearing a shaytel, which is a type of wig often worn by married Orthodox Jewish women, while her husband wore a traditional yarmulke. This, they surmise, led them to be treated unequally by the airline’s staff.
According to the Alder family, the issue with the airline staff arose on the tarmac. Yehuda Adler asked if there were any complimentary headphones he could use, as he had overhead on another plane that they offered such a service.
The pilot overheard, and snapped at Mr. Adler, “I wasn’t on that plane and we don’t offer anything complimentary,” according to the lawsuit.
Following this outburst, the lawsuit continues, the family was told there was an “emergency” and that they needed to disembark the plane.
After they had exited the plane, the Adler family was told that they were actually removed due to complaints from the captain and passengers about their “body odor,” despite both of the Adlers stating they had showered that morning.
The Adlers are seeking punitive damages in the case, alleging that American Airlines acted in a such a way that was discriminatory on the basis of religion. The airline released a statement to the contrary, however.
“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 reads. “None of the decisions made by our team in handling this sensitive situation were based on the Adler’s [sic] religion,” American Airlines insists.
