NAACP warning could hinder airline industry
Group issued warning about American
Recent incidents involving alleged discrimination against black people, including the removal of African-American passengers from American Airlines flights, risk alienating a powerful market with growing economic clout.
“You don’t want to alienate any market segment, but you certainly don’t want to alienate any market that’s growing faster” than the overall population, says Jeff Humphreys, director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.
The NAACP issued a travel
warning Tuesday for African-American travelers to exercise caution when flying on American Airlines after noticing a pattern of “disturbing incidents” involving the removal of black passengers from flights and other troublesome conduct.
One of the four incidents cited in the NAACP’s statement involved an African-American passenger who was required to give up his purchased seat aboard a flight from Washington, D.C., to Raleigh because he responded to “disrespectful and discriminatory comments directed toward him by two unruly white passengers.”
Another episode involved an African-American woman who was switched to coach at the ticket counter despite having booked first-class tickets for herself and a traveling companion. The woman’s companion, who was white, remained assigned to a first-class seat, ac--
cording to NAACP’s claims.
The NAACP said the incidents “suggest a corporate culture of racial insensitivity and possible racial bias on the part of American Airlines.” NAACP officials said they decided to issue the advisory after receiving a number of complaints over the past year from passengers as well as some American Airline employees who witnessed what they call discriminatory practices.
“We decided as an organization to make our voice heard in a way in which African-American consumers could be advised of what the potentials are as related to American Airlines,’’ Derrick Johnson, new president and CEO of the NAACP, told USA TODAY.
NAACP officials said while there have been complaints about other airlines, most over the past year have been about problems on American Airlines. Since the advisory has been issued, NAACP officials said they have heard from more people of color about incidents with American.
“We started getting phone calls from flight attendants validating these problems and how American Airlines does business,’’ said Hilary Shelton, the head of the NAACP’s Washington Bureau.
African Americans have had a long history of discrimination in public accommodations, particularly during the Jim Crow era. Shelton said the incidents conjure memories of the Green Book, a guide used by African-American
“You don’t want to alienate any market segment, but you certainly don’t want to alienate any market that’s growing faster” than the overall population.
Jeff Humphreys, Selig Center for Economic Growth
travelers to find businesses where they were welcomed.
American Airlines said it plans to invite representatives from the NAACP to meet with airline officials at their headquarters in Fort Worth.
“We are disappointed to hear about this travel advisory as our team members — a diverse community of gate agents, pilots and flight attendants — are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds,” American Airlines said in a statement. “Every day, American is committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us.”
The episodes are the latest in a series of apparently discriminatory practices by airlines and other U.S. businesses.
In August, the NAACP issued a travel advisory for the state of Missouri urging black residents and visitors to “exercise extreme caution when traveling throughout the state.”
The state’s convention and visitors commission said the advisory hurt local hotels. “We have been notified by a number of area hotels that they have lost meeting groups that were in contract phase,” Kathleen Ratcliffe, president of Explore St. Louis, said in a statement at the time.
Similar responses could jeopardize a potent and fast-growing market for U.S. businesses. Since
2012, spending by black consumers has increased 32.5% to $1.3 trillion, compared with 27.2% by white Americans, according to the Selig Center.
Blacks represent an increasingly coveted audience. Last year,
23% had college degrees, up from
17% in 2000 and 11% in 1990, Selig says. And black business formation grew 34% from 2007 to
2012, compared with 3% for the population overall.
The number of black households with incomes between
$50,000 and $75,000 increased
18% from 2004 to 2014, vs. a 2% rise for the U.S. overall, according to Nielsen. And 55% of black Millennials spend one or more hours on social media daily, compared with 49% of all Millennials, Nielsen says.
“Brands ignore the economic power and cultural influence of African Americans and all multicultural audiences at their own peril.”