Spirit Airlines Accused Of Racism By Passengers Removed From Flight At Los Angeles International Airport

Six passengers, who were removed from a Spirit Airlines, Inc. flight by crew members at Los Angeles International Airport, claim they were discriminated against for being black. The incident occurred late Monday and the passengers accused a white flight attendant of discrimination.

The episode happened over a seat, which the passengers said was double-booked, CBS Los Angeles reported. Following this, police took the three couples out of the plane. According to witnesses, the flight attendant alleged a member in the group of being a threat and the six passengers were banned from flight 868 bound to Dallas, Texas, the local news network reported.

“I’m really humiliated just for the simple fact that you hear about this type of stuff happening in America, discrimination issues and stuff like that, but to actually experience it first-hand,” Alexandria Wright, one of the banned passengers reportedly said. “It was more than just us having the conversation. Why is that six black people got kicked off the plane?” Wright asked.

The flight took off from the airport without the passengers, who reportedly said they were not rebooked. However, after reaching Dallas, other witnesses on the flight said the passengers were removed because they were being disruptive.

The low-budget airline operates more than 300 daily flights to 56 destinations in the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America.