Activist cites racial bias in getting thrown off flight
An activist who helped organize the Women's March on Washington is accusing an American Airlines (AAL) pilot of racial discrimination for kicking her off a flight.
In a series of tweets, Tamika Mallory said a pilot had her removed from a Sunday flight from Miami to New York after she had a dispute with another airline employee over her seat assignment.
Mallory tweeted that, "Only reason this pilot got involved was to assert his white male power over who he thought was just some uppity black girl."
American says it takes the allegations seriously, and it's apologizing for an error in handling Mallory's request to change seats. The airline says employees tried to defuse the situation and booked Mallory on the next flight.
This is the latest in a series of incidents on commercial airlines this year in which passengers have been taken off planes for a variety of reasons. Late last month, a woman had to be forcibly removed from a Southwest Airlines (LUV) flight after complaining that two dogs were on board that could expose her to a life-threatening allergic reaction. Southwest apologized for the incident, but the woman was later charged with several violations, including disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstructing and hindering a police officer.