An interracial couple from Arizona was arrested by American Airlines after the husband was framed for human trafficking of his wife by two airline employees and another passenger on the plane. filed a lawsuit against.
The incident occurred in September 2022 on a US military flight from Phoenix to Miami. According to a federal lawsuit filed last week in the Southern District of Florida, Anthony Williams, a black former police officer, and his wife, Katsialina Shashorka, a white Russian national, were on their honeymoon.
In the lawsuit, the couple allege that another passenger suspected Williams of trafficking his wife and alerted airline officials. Employees did not question the couple during the flight, but upon landing they were escorted from the plane and detained by local authorities. In the complaint, they say they were “unjustly imprisoned.”
Jasmine Rand, an attorney representing Williams and Shasholka, said in a statement that “American Airlines' pattern of racial discrimination against passengers is unacceptable,” and the couple's experience is an example of racial profiling by airlines. .
An American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement that the airline is reviewing the complaint's allegations.
“American Airlines is committed to providing a positive experience for everyone who travels with us,” the spokesperson said.
In 2017, the NAACP issued an advisory against Black travelers flying on American flights after four reports of racial discrimination. The advisory warned travelers of American Airlines' “corporate culture of racial insensitivity and potential for racial bias,” but also confirmed that American Airlines is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The agreement was lifted about nine months later, after the government promised to form a new group.
The NAACP is “in an ongoing dialogue with the company about best practices and the need to center an equitable travel experience,” said Alicia Mercedes, a spokeswoman for the group.
American Airlines announced in December that it had settled a lawsuit brought by three black men who claimed they were unfairly removed from a plane in January over body odor complaints.
