United Airlines flight to Israel allegedly turned around after Jewish passenger sat in attendant's seat
A United Airlines crew allegedly turned a flight with a significant number of Jewish passengers around after one sat in a flight attendant's seat while waiting for the restroom, according to a lawsuit.
Nearly 60 passengers claimed the April 22, 2023 flight from Newark to Tel Aviv was returned to New Jersey 'after hours of flight for no valid reason' — simply because many of them were Jewish, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court papers.
The flight crew allegedly 'blamed all the rest of the passenger's' after one person briefly sat in the flight attendant's spot while waiting to use the bathroom, resulting in the 'ill trained and/or unvetted crew' to act with 'prejudice,' the suit claimed.
Many of the passengers in question were 'visibly Jews,' on their way to Israel to celebrate Yom Hazikaron, Israel's national day of remembrance, and Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day.
The passengers got no help booking new trips once the flight returned to Newark, and when one asked for assistance they were allegedly told by a flight attendant, 'Go ask your own kind,' according to the litigation.
'We want to see sensitivity training,' said attorney Yoram Nachimovsky, who is also seeking unspecified damages. 'If one person is acting bad it doesn't mean everyone around them is responsible.'
'We have reviewed the incident, and the plaintiffs' claims are meritless,' United said in a statement.
'One passenger who was a safety and security risk caused the flight to return to Newark. Our crew put safety first and exhibited professionalism in managing this matter, and we will vigorously defend against these false allegations,' the company added.
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