American Airlines CEO sees opportunity in NAACP criticism

DALLAS—The CEO of American Airlines said Thursday he is looking forward to company representatives meeting with the NAACP to discuss the civil rights group’s charge that carrier has a culture of racial insensitivity.

The NAACP earlier this week warned AfricanAmericans that if they fly on American, they may face discrimination or even safety issues.

CEO Doug Parker said his first reaction to the NAACP’s charge was, “How can that be true of us?” He described the airline as having “a diverse and open environment and organization.”

But he says he now sees a chance to improve the airline.

“Once you get past that, this is a fantastic opportunity because we want to get better,” Parker told reporters during a call to discuss the company’s latest financial results. “If the NAACP wants to talk to us and wants to help us get better, we are excited about that.”

The NAACP issued a “travel advisory” and cited four recent incidents where AfricanAmerican passengers, including an NAACP official, believed they were mistreated because of their race.

Since the start of 2016, passengers flying on American have filed 29 complaints of racial discrimination with the federal government, the most against any U.S. carrier, followed by United Airlines with 17.