Two long-serving United Airlines flight attendants filed a lawsuit against the company Wednesday alleging they were subjected to racial and age discrimination in not being assigned to charter flights for the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Reuters.
Flight attendants Dawn Todd and Darby Quezada claim they were excluded from charter flights for the baseball team in favor of flight attendants who met a specific physical appearance preference of the athletes, Reuters.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, contends Todd and Quezada were passed over in favor of “white, young, thin women who are predominantly blond and blue-eyed,” reflecting the players’ purported preference for this specific physical appearance. Todd, 50, is Black; Quezada, 44, has Mexican, Black and Jewish heritage. Both have been employees of United Airlines for more than 15 years and are seeking unspecified damages for alleged discrimination and harassment, per the outlet. (RELATED: New England Patriots Sues Eastern Airlines For $22 Million After Alleged Deceptive Maneuver)
A discrimination suit against United Airlines claims it replaced minority, veteran flight attendants with young, white and thin women on charter flights to please the LA Dodgers.
🔗: https://t.co/oPSvS2i1EB pic.twitter.com/5uApUhXmzj— L.A. Daily News (@ladailynews) October 27, 2023
Todd and Quezada were initially selected for the Dodgers charter flight program, which typically offered higher compensation than that for standard flights. The situation allegedly changed in the past year, however, when several white flight attendants were added to the program, according to the complaint. This shift in staffing allegedly led to Todd receiving fewer assignments and Quezada being removed from the program altogether, per the outlet.
United Airlines, in response to the lawsuit, stated it fosters an inclusive environment and does not tolerate any form of discrimination, the outlet added. The airline expressed its belief that the lawsuit lacks merit and pledged to vigorously defend itself against the allegations, per the outlet.
The LA Dodgers baseball team is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, and a spokesperson for the team declined to comment on the pending litigation.
