NAACP issues alert about flying American

DALLAS — The NAACP is warning African-Americans that if they fly on American Airlines, they may face discrimination.

American’s CEO said he wants to discuss the matter with the civil rights group.

The NAACP said that for several months it has watched a pattern of disturbing incidents reported by AfricanAmerican passengers. New NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the organization is not boycotting American Airlines.

“We’re just saying to individuals that here is an advisory note,” Johnson said.

In a memo to employees, CEO Doug Parker said American endorses the NAACP’s mission statement against racial discrimination.

“We do not and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” Parker wrote. “We have reached out to the NAACP and are eager to meet with them to listen to their issues and concerns.”

The NAACP highlighted four recent incidents in which African-American passengers said they were treated in a discriminatory way.

One involved the head of the North Carolina NAACP, the Rev. William Barber, who sued American after the airline summoned a police officer to remove him from a flight last year.

Barber said he had asked an attendant to tell two white passengers behind him to quiet down, but she was dismissive. After one of the white men said loudly that he didn’t like “those people” and mocked him, Barber said he stood and turned to ask the man to stop talking about him.

Barber dropped his suit in June.

An incident last week involved Tamika Mallory, an organizer of the Women’s March on Washington. Mallory had changed her seat at a kiosk, only to be told at the gate that the seat had been assigned to another customer.

Mallory said she was treated disrespectfully by the gate agent and was outraged when a pilot asked if she could control herself. After being told she was being kicked off plane, Mallory called the pilot a racist in a profanity-laced exchange.