Lufthansa fined record $4M for barring Orthodox Jewish passengers from 2022 flight

The United States has fined German airline Lufthansa $4 million for its treatment of Jewish passengers denied boarding in Frankfurt after arriving from New York in 2022.

The U.S. Transportation Department announced Tuesday that the penalty is the largest ever imposed by the agency for civil-rights violations. However, Lufthansa received a $2 million credit for compensating the affected passengers, effectively halving the fine.

The department reported that most of the 128 passengers denied boarding "wore distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men." Although many of these individuals did not know each other or travel as a group, Lufthansa treated them collectively and denied boarding due to alleged misconduct by a few passengers.

The passengers were among 131 traveling from New York via Frankfurt to Budapest for an annual memorial event honoring an Orthodox rabbi.

Some passengers said flight attendants on the initial flight reminded them to wear face masks and avoid gathering in aisles or near emergency exits. Lufthansa crew did not single out any individuals for failing to follow these instructions, citing numerous violations and frequent seat-swapping during the flight.

The captain reported the misconduct to Lufthansa security, triggering the process that led to the passengers being barred from boarding the connecting flight, according to the case’s consent order.

Lufthansa denied any discriminatory intent and disputed claims that its employees acted with bias, though it admitted to "errors in company procedure and communications."

The airline reached a settlement with most of the affected passengers in 2022.