Southwest Airlines is facing a federal racial discrimination lawsuit wherein Dr. Briana Hicks, a Black woman, says one of the carrier’s flight attendants unfairly kicked her off a flight, due to racism.
According to Hicks’ lawsuit, the incident happened on November 20, 2024, ahead of Flight 952’s takeoff from Chicago, headed toward Washington, D.C. The woman, a clinical pharmacist, boarded the plane and sat in her exit row seat. During the safety briefing that the airline crew gives those seated in exit rows ahead of takeoff, Hicks believes the flight attendant who recited the information racially targeted her.
The Southwest Airlines employee reportedly demanded that Hicks not only put down her phone during the briefing, but that she stow it. Though Hicks says she obeyed the flight attendant’s instructions, things escalated. A white, male passenger allegedly intervened on the Black woman’s behalf, questioning why the flight attendant was subjecting Hicks to different treatment.
Per Travel And Tour World, Hicks said that after the briefing, she informed two other flight attendants about their co-worker’s inappropriate behavior. However, when she sat back down in the exit row, the flight attendant who initially targeted her allegedly told her that she had to get off the plane.
What Else Is There To Know About Hicks’ Lawsuit Against Southwest Airlines?
Hicks said she was the only Black person in the exit row, and that she was the only person the flight attendant targeted regarding electronic devices, Hicks’ lawsuit reportedly alleges that the flight attendant started harassing her about her phone after she’d put it in airplane mode and put it on her lap, face down.
Instances of racial discrimination against travelers of color who fly and work in aviation continue making headlines. Last year, former Southwest Airlines employee Joseph Pitts filed a lawsuit against the carrier claiming another worker called him the N-word, and that he faced a hostile workplace. He sued the carrier for racial discrimination, wrongful termination, and other accusations.
