Lufthansa fined $4 million by U.S. DOT for discriminating against Jewish passengers

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined Lufthansa $4 million (€3.8 million) for discriminating against 128 Jewish passengers back in May 2022, marking the largest civil rights-related penalty ever imposed on an airline by the DOT. The passengers, many of whom were wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish attire, were denied boarding on a connecting flight in Frankfurt while traveling from New York to Budapest.

DOT’s investigation revealed that Lufthansa banned the group from their connecting flight based on the alleged misbehavior of a few passengers, despite the fact that most travelers were not involved and did not even know each other. This act of collective punishment was deemed discriminatory by the DOT.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized that no traveler should face discrimination, and this fine highlights the department’s commitment to holding airlines accountable for their treatment of passengers.

This penalty adds to a series of actions taken by the DOT to strengthen consumer protections and enforce fairness in the airline industry.