DALLAS — Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a US$4 million penalty against Lufthansa (LH) for discriminating against Jewish passengers traveling from New York City through Frankfurt to Budapest in May 2022.

According to a DOT release, LH prohibited 128 Jewish passengers, the majority of whom were dressed in distinctive garb that is typically worn by Orthodox Jewish males, from boarding their connecting flight in Germany due to the alleged misconduct of a few passengers. 

The DOT says its investigators interviewed passengers who claimed that LH treated them as a singular group and denied them boarding due to the alleged misbehavior of a few, even though many of them did not know each other or travel together. 

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

“From cracking down on long tarmac delays to ensuring passengers are properly refunded, our department has strengthened our enforcement efforts to hold airlines accountable for their treatment of passengers, and we will continue to push the industry to serve passengers with the fairness and dignity they deserve.”

How the Events Unfolded

In May 2022, the Department received more than 40 discrimination complaints from Jewish passengers who were scheduled to depart from John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York City, with a stop at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Germany, and a final destination at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), Hungary. 

According to the DOT's inquiry, the captain of the initial flight informed LH security that certain passengers disregarded crew directives and transferred to a subsequent flight to Budapest. However, LH could not identify any passenger who failed to follow crew member instructions.

The alert to security led to placing a hold on the tickets of more than 100 passengers with an ultimate destination of BUD. This action subsequently prevented passengers from boarding their next scheduled flight at FRA. All passengers with a hold placed on their ticket were Jewish.

Today's DOT-imposed penalty is the most substantial yet against an airline for civil rights violations.