NAACP Issues National Travel Advisory For American Airlines

A week after activist and Women’s March co-founder Tamika Mallory was removed from an American Airlines flight from Miami to New York, the NAACP issued a travel advisory warning passengers about their “safety and well-being” when flying with the carrier. The NAACP cited at least four recent incidents that involved alleged discrimination. “The NAACP for several months now has been monitoring a pattern of disturbing incidents reported by African-American passengers, specific to American Airlines,” reads the NAACP statement. “We have today taken the action of issuing national advisory alerting travelers -- especially African-Americans -- to exercise caution, in that booking and boarding flights on American Airlines could subject them [to] disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions.” Derrick Johnson, the NAACP’s newly elected President and CEO, called on the airline leaders to meet with the group. “Until these and other concerns are addressed, this national travel advisory will stand,” Johnson said in a statement. American Airlines said it was “disappointed” to hear about the advisory and pledged to meet with NAACP representatives. As reported by The Beat DC, the incident with Mallory involved a dispute with a gate agent over a changed seat assignment in which she was removed from the flight at the pilot’s insistence. Click here to see the advisory.