Pamela Hill Veal was flying first class from Chicago to Phoenix with her family on February 10 when an American Airlines flight attendant stopped her and slammed the bathroom door. He said he blamed it.
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Pamela Hill Veal was flying first class from Chicago to Phoenix with her family on February 10 when an American Airlines flight attendant stopped her and slammed the bathroom door. He said he blamed it.
pamela hill veale
A Chicago woman is accusing American Airlines of racism. One of the airline's flight attendants allegedly confronted her after she boarded the flight. Airplane first class restroom.
In a complaint sent to American Airlines and obtained by NPR, Pamela Hill Veal, who is black, was flying first class from Chicago to Phoenix with her family on February 10 when a flight attendant approached her. He said that he stopped him and said, “That's what you're saying.''she returned to her seat — He then accused Hill Veer of slamming the bathroom door.
In response to comments from a flight attendant (name and race not disclosed) (in the complaint), Hill-Veal said he did not respond as he returned to his seat.
“As I was returning to my seat, a flight attendant stopped me and said, 'I slammed the bathroom door. Don't do that again because the passenger was sleeping on the plane,'” Hill-Veal said in an interview with NPR. he said. She never slammed the door, she said.
After a while on the plane, Hill Veal — former circuit court judge. The Illinois woman said in her complaint that she used the same restroom in first class because she was stopped again by the same flight attendant.
American Airlines said in a statement to NPR that it has been in contact with Hill-Veale to learn more about her experience. “We strive to provide a positive travel experience for all of our customers and take all allegations of discrimination very seriously,” the airline said.
Hill-Veal told NPR that she vividly remembers the moment the flight attendant began to reprimand her.
“He pointed his finger in my face and started berating me, saying, 'I told you not to slam the door…so from now on, you're going to use the bathroom in the back of the plane.'” “He pointed in the direction of the bathroom,” she said.
Hill-Veal said she hadn't witnessed any passengers complaining about the toilet door in first class, but she received more attention after a hostile exchange with a flight attendant.
She said the incident was racially motivated, pointing out that other passengers, who are white, were also using the same first-class restroom but were not instructed to use the restroom in the back of the plane. He said he believed it was.
The flight attendant “pointed his finger at me and said again, 'I told you to stop slamming the door…'” she said.
Hill-Veal said she used the restroom for the third time about 30 minutes before landing. She explained that when she departed, her fellow flight attendant followed her to her seat and began groping her, and that she would be arrested when her plane landed.
The former judge said in her complaint that the flight attendant told her: She would be arrested because she didn't like the way he was doing things. [she] I spoke to him,” accusing Hill Veal of hitting him.
“I told him I never hit him, so this was a complete fabrication,” she added.
Hill-Veal has since said: The incident left her traumatized, unable to sleep properly, and the incident left her feeling humiliated.
“I still feel uncomfortable flying because I don't know what they're going to say about me doing that, trying to cover up what they did during this special time,” Hill-Veal said. Ta.
Other Discrimination Complaints Against American Airlines
American Airlines is no stranger to discrimination accusations. In 2023, the company was targeted after two separate highly publicized incidents, one involving track star Shakari Richardson and the other involving musician David Ryan Harris.
Axios reported that Richardson was removed from the U.S. flight after getting into an argument with a flight attendant, who she claimed was harassing and trying to intimidate her.
In a statement similar to the one it gave to NPR regarding Hill-Veale's allegations, the airline told Axios that it investigates all claims of discrimination and that “American Airlines is committed to providing positive feedback to all of our customers who travel with us.” “We strive to provide a welcoming experience,” he added. And we take allegations of discrimination very seriously. ”
In September, Harris, who was traveling with her two biracial children, was stopped and questioned at Los Angeles International Airport by an American Airlines flight attendant who suspected child trafficking.
Harris later posted a statement that he said was given to him by the Americans, saying, “Through coaching and counseling, we and our flight attendants have recognized that our policies regarding suspected human trafficking were not followed. ..Our flight attendants recognized that their interactions and observations were not followed.” Does not meet the criteria for human trafficking. ”
