Airlines
A Muslim family is suing Delta Air Lines over their ‘unjust’ removal from a flight from Atlanta to Baltimore
A Muslim family is suing Delta Air Lines over their ‘unjust’ removal from a flight from Atlanta to Baltimore
Two Muslim boys’ father has filed a lawsuit in Maryland against Delta Air Lines and its CEO Ed Bastian, alleging that it was “malicious” and “callous” to remove his sons from a Delta flight in 2019.
Delta ranked 6th best employer in the world by Forbes(Opens in a new browser tab)
Hisham Kassab asserts that other passengers as well as flight attendants and gate agents made untrue accusations against him and his sons, who were only 7 and 11 years old when they were removed from the Delta Air flight. According to court documents submitted to the District Court of Maryland, Hisham and his sons Ibrahim and Karim were returning from a trip to Rome, Italy, and were boarding a flight in Atlanta that would take them to Baltimore.
They were permitted to board the aircraft, but soon after a second airline employee ordered them to disembark without providing a reason. They exited the plane, the door shutting quickly, and the plane pushed away from the gate without them.
Delta Air Lines and Starbucks launch loyalty partnership(Opens in a new browser tab)
According to the lawsuit, the gate agent, flight attendant, and other passengers all claimed that Hashim used profanity in his conversation with the gate agent, that’s why the Captain decided to have them removed from the flight. With court documents stating that the Atlanta-based carrier intends to defend itself against the claims, lawyers acting on behalf of Delta moved quickly to have the lawsuit, which was only filed on Wednesday, removed.
Lawyers say that the lawsuit may be barred by the Montreal Convention, one of several defences that the airline intends to use. The airline is also demanding strict proof of Hisham’s claims, and Hisham’s lawyers claim he has yet to state a claim that would allow him to claim compensation.
