Black flight attendant sues Spirit, claiming racial discrimination over her firing

A former Spirit Airlines flight attendant is suing the Broward County airline in federal court in Miami, alleging she was fired for being overweight after not being given the same opportunity to lose weight as a white colleague.

Chelsia Blackmon, an African-American woman, says she was unable to fasten the seat belt and fit in the jump seat on one of Spirit’s Airbus 319 planes in September 2021. She was forced to deplane and placed on leave. She claims Spirit gave her from Sept. 3 to Oct. 12 to lose weight and be able to “fit” into the jump seat. On Nov. 3, 2021, Blackmon was terminated, according to her lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Blackmon and her lawyers say in court documents the flight attendant suffered racial discrimination. They cited a white colleague who they say also couldn’t fit in the jump seat but was given “several months” to lose weight while Blackmon was given just over a month.

“As a result of the discriminatory and illegal differential treatment based upon her race, [Blackmon] has suffered lost wages, compensatory damages, mental anguish and suffering as a result of the discriminatory treatment that Spirit Air subjected her to,” the lawsuit alleges.

Blackmon is seeking back pay as well as money for compensatory and punitive damages and her attorney fees from Miramar-based Spirit, an airline known for its ultra-low airfares.

A Spirit spokesman didn’t immediately respond Monday to a request for comments from the Miami Herald.

In October, Spirit’s shareholders approved the airline’s planned $3.8 billion sale to New Yorkbased JetBlue Airways. Before a sale can be finalized, the U.S. Department of Justice would have to approve the proposed combination of the two airlines to create the nation’s fifthlargest airline. It could take up to two years to secure federal approval.