CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NAACP is warning African-Americans that if they fly on American Airlines they could be subject to discrimination or even unsafe conditions.
American's CEO said Wednesday that he was disappointed by the announcement and that American wants to discuss the matter with the civil rights group.
The NAACP also made claims of racial insensitivity by American Airlines, which has a major hub in Charlotte, and pointed out specific examples from the past year or so.
Marty Puckett, vice president of the NAACP in Charlotte, said black passengers in other cities have reported racial discrimination on American Airline flights.
"I've had no problems but I also realize that my experience is not the same as somebody else's flight experience,” Puckett said.
The NAACP highlighted four recent incidents in which African-American passengers said they were treated in a discriminatory way.
One involved the head of the North Carolina NAACP, Rev. William Barber, who sued American after being removed from a flight last year. Barber said police were called and removed him from the plane after he asked a flight attendant to tell a white passenger behind him to quiet down.
Barber accused the other passenger of making a comment about having a problem with "those people."
An incident last week involved Tamika Mallory, an organizer of the Women's March on Washington in January. Mallory had changed her seat at an airport kiosk, only to be told at the gate that the seat had been assigned to another customer.
Mallory said she was treated disrespectfully by the gate agent - another African-American woman - and was outraged when a white male pilot asked if she could control herself while on the flight.
After being told she was being kicked off the plane, Mallory called the pilot a racist in a profanity-laced exchange. She took a later flight home to New York on American, then held a press conference two days later and threatened to take legal action against the airline.
The NAACP said, that and other recent incidents involving African-Americans, "suggest a corporate culture of racial insensitivity and possible racial bias on the part of American Airlines."
The NAACP's statement warned African-Americans that they could be subjected to discrimination if they book a flight with the airline.
American Airlines issued a statement saying that it has a diverse group of employees and serves customers of all backgrounds.
“We are disappointed to hear about this travel advisory as our team members – a diverse community of gate agents, pilots, and flight attendants – are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds. Every day American is committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us.
“We will invite representatives of the NAACP to meet with our team at our headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. We are committed to having a meaningful dialogue about our airline and are ready to both listen and engage.”
In a memo to employees, CEO Doug Parker said American endorses the NAACP's mission statement against racial discrimination.
"We do not and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind," Parker wrote. "We have reached out to the NAACP and are eager to meet with them to listen to their issues and concerns."
American, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is the world's largest airline. The NAACP describes itself as the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization.
The NAACP said its travel advisory will stand until their concerns about racial bias are addressed.
"In order to fix that, you have to admit that there is room for improvement,” Puckett said.
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