Two black passengers were told to change their clothes if they wanted to fly first-class with US Airways. Apparently their jeans and hoodies were not good enough. Brothers McCraig Warren and Miles Warren were flying from Denver to Phoenix, but right before they boarded they were told that they had to change into button-down shirts, slacks and dress suits if they wanted to be seated. They are now suing the airline.
According to International Business Times, they are “seeking punitive damages for discrimination and emotional distress.” They didn’t think about suing until they changed clothes, boarded the flight, and saw a white man and Filipino man wearing — take a guess — jeans and hoodies in first class.
“We welcome customers of all ethnicities and backgrounds and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” the airline told told Alternet.
The reason the airline asked them to change was because they “were pass-riders” traveling within the employee travel program, and they are required to comply with their policies. The only thing is that they weren’t employees. They got the airline tickets from a family friend who works for US Airways, and they weren’t told about the policy. The Warrens’ lawyer said it wasn’t fair.
“If this is a policy, it has to be practiced at all times and not just selectively implemented when they want it to be implemented,” Diggs said. “They were very upset when they saw the other two gentlemen sitting right across from them [wearing jeans and hoodies]. This is definitely racial discrimination and a violation of their civil rights.”
Check the next page for video coverage of the lawsuit.
