Two flight attendants for United Airlines have filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that based on a request from the Los Angeles Dodgers, they almost only use younger White attendants on charter flights for the team.
The lawsuit was filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court and claims that United removed minority female flight attendants from Dodgers chart flights to replace them with “young White thin women who did not have to interview for the highly coveted positions,” the LA Times reported.
The longtime flight attendants allege in their suit that this action was a clear act of discrimination and that White employees of United Airlines participated in blatant racism and antisemitism towards their minority counterparts on those charter flights.
Darby Quezada, one of the plaintiffs named in the suit, is of Black, Mexican, and Jewish descent. Dawna Todd, the other plaintiff, is Black and has spent more than 17 years with United.
Quezada claims that she was referred to as the “flight’s maid” on one of the charter flights as they said they needed a “Mexican to clean the bathrooms.” She also alleges that she was told to stop speaking Spanish with a Dodger player because “we are in America.”
Quezada says in the suit that she also faced antisemitic comments like “you know Jesus died for you even if you don’t believe,” as well as being told she doesn’t look Jewish.
Todd alleges that she suffered retaliation from United after complaining about the demotion and denial of benefits and perks for Black flight attendants on the Dodgers flight. She also claims to have faced racism and ageism, the suit says.
Todd, Quezada, and their attorney spoke with KCAL News, sharing that the opportunities shouldn’t “be based on the color of my skin, I can’t change it, she can’t change it.”
Initially, both Todd and Quezada were chosen to be a part of the charter team but later were removed by the airline for reasons they say were based on race and other physical bias.
The positions, which are seen as promotions, were denied both flight attendants after their interviews because they didn’t fit “the look.”
“I looked at the list, and that’s when they added three blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Caucasian individuals,” Quezada told the outlet.
United has responded to the lawsuit, saying it “fosters an environment of inclusion and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
“We believe this lawsuit is without merit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously,” the airline said.
The two flight attendants are seeking a jury trial and an unspecified amount of damages for the discrimination they say they faced.
“Major American corporations like United Airlines must understand that it is illegal to make staffing decisions based on an employee’s race and looks, even if it is meant to please major clients like the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Sam S. Yebri, the attorney for both plaintiffs in the lawsuit said in a statement. “United’s blatantly discriminatory staffing decisions allowed the cancer of racism and antisemitism to metastasize on the flights themselves.”
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