Woman Sues Easyjet After Crew Ask Her To Move Seats Because Ultra-Orthodox Jews Won't Sit Next To Her

A woman is suing easyJet after she was asked to move seats as ultra-Orthodox Jewish men didn’t want to sit beside a female passenger.

Speaking to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, 38-year-old Melanie Wolfson said the incident took place on an easyJet flight from Tel Aviv to London last October. Wolfson, who had paid extra for an aisle seat, was asked to switch seats with a passenger a few rows ahead because an ultra-Orthodox man didn’t want to sit next to a female passenger.

"It was the first time in my adult life that I was discriminated against for being a woman. I would not have had any problem whatsoever switching seats if it were to allow members of a family or friends to sit together, but the fact that I was being asked to do this because I was a woman was why I refused," she told the newspaper.

After she refused, a flight attendant attempted to convince her to move and also offered her a free hot drink as an incentive for the same.

Wolfson eventually agreed as she was concerned that the flight might be delayed because of it.

"There were passengers watching this happen who said nothing," she recalled.

Later during the flight, Wolfson, who is British-Israeli, was told by flight attendants that female passengers were often asked to switch seats to accommodate ultra-Orthodox men.

This was not the only time Wolfson was asked to move. In December, on another easyJet flight to London, two ultra-Orthodox men asked her to switch seats. This time, she refused.

After the airline allegedly failed to respond to her complaints, Wolfson decided to sue the airline for a violation of Israeli law and is claiming close to $20,000 compensation.

In a statement to the outlet, the airline said, "We take claims of this nature very seriously. Whilst it would be inappropriate to comment, as this matter is currently the subject of legal proceedings, we do not discriminate on any grounds."

The Israeli law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion or nationality.