The U.S. Transportation Department fined German airline Lufthansa $4 million for denying boarding to a group of Jewish passengers on a 2022 flight from Frankfurt to Budapest. The fine is the largest the agency has issued for civil-rights violations, although Lufthansa was given credit for $2 million in compensation it provided to the passengers.
The incident involved 128 of the 131 passengers, most of whom “wore distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men.” Although the passengers were not traveling together, Lufthansa treated them as a group and denied boarding to all over alleged misbehavior by a few. The passengers were en route to an annual memorial event to honor an Orthodox rabbi.
Lufthansa rejected any allegations of discrimination, but acknowledged “errors in company procedure and communications.” The airline reached a settlement with most of the passengers in 2022. The Transportation Department’s action highlights the importance of ensuring fair and equitable treatment for all passengers, regardless of their religious or cultural affiliations.
