Lufthansa paid a record $4 million fine for barring Jewish passengers from flights

A German airline has grounded 128 Jewish passengers for misbehavior with some passengers, US authorities say.

Lufthansa has agreed to pay a $4 million fine for an incident in which more than 100 Jewish passengers were prevented from boarding their flight.

A German airline barred passengers – many of whom wore the distinctive clothing typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men – from boarding a connecting flight in Frankfurt in May 2022 based on alleged misbehavior by some passengers, the US Department of Transportation said on Tuesday.

Passengers interviewed by authorities said the airline treated the 128 Jewish passengers traveling from New York City to Budapest as a “single group” even though many of them did not know each other and were not traveling together, the DOT said.

The department said the fine is the largest it has ever issued against an airline for violating the Civil Rights Act.

“No one should face discrimination when they travel, and today's action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we stand ready to investigate and take action whenever passengers' civil rights are violated,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

Lufthansa said it cooperated fully with US authorities and its long-standing mission is to “connect people, culture and economy in a sustainable way”.

“We are focused on many efforts, including a partnership with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), a highly respected and globally recognized advocacy organization and thought leader,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“Through our ongoing collaboration, we have developed a first-of-its-kind training program to address anti-Semitism and discrimination for our managers and employees in the airline industry. Lufthansa is dedicated to being an ambassador of goodwill, tolerance, diversity and acceptance. As the first airline to accept the working definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Lufthansa will continue a thoughtful dialogue with Jewish communities and organizations around the world.”

In its response to the DOT, Lufthansa said it regretted and publicly apologized for the incident, which resulted from an “unfortunate series of miscommunications, misinterpretations and wrong decisions,” according to a legal order filed by the department.

The carrier, however, said the staff handled the situation “without awareness of the race or religion of passengers” and that its actions, “while regrettable, do not support the department's findings of discrimination in this case”.

Lufthansa said the mistreatment many passengers received included interrupting flight attendants and arguing with crew over wearing masks.

The DOT said in its order that the airline “concluded that it is not practical to address each passenger individually”.