Woman was humiliated when American Airlines made her wrap a blanket over her summer outfit, lawyer says
American Airlines has apologized to a woman who says she was humiliated after being told she couldn't fly unless she covered up her romper.
Latisha "Tisha" Rowe said she and her son were boarding a flight from Kingston, Jamaica, to Miami, Florida, on June 30 when an airline employee asked them to step off the plane to talk, her attorney, Geoffrey Berg, told CNN.
Rowe was told that she would not be allowed to fly unless she covered herself, Berg said. Her thighs and arms were exposed in the strapless romper.
Rowe said the employee asked if she had a jacket, and ended up giving her a blanket to wrap around herself, Berg said.
Rowe tweeted about her experience and shared a picture of the outfit she was wearing.
"Here is what i was wearing when @AmericanAir asked me to deplane for a talk. At which point I was asked to "cover up". When defending my outfit I was threatened with not getting back on the flight unless I walked down athe aisle wrapped in a blanket. #notsofriendlyskies," she wrote.
Here is what i was wearing when @AmericanAir asked me to deplane for a talk. At which point I was asked to “cover up”. When defending my outfit I was threatened with not getting back on the flight unless I walked down the aisle wrapped in a blanket. #notsofriendlyskies pic.twitter.com/AYQNNriLcq— Tisha Rowe MD, MBA (@tisharowemd) July 1, 2019
"My shorts covered EVERYTHING but apparently was too distracting to enter the plane," she said in a separate tweet.
Rowe, who is African-American, said black women face a double standard.
"We
are policed for being black. Our bodies are over sexualized as women
and we must ADJUST to make everyone around us comfortable. I've seen
white women with much shorter shorts board a plane without a blink of an
eye. I guess if it's a "nice ass" vs a @Serena Booty it's okay...," she tweeted.
American Airlines spokesperson Shannon Gilson said the company is investigating.
"We
were concerned about Dr. Rowe's comments, and reached out to her and
our team at the Kingston airport to gather more information about what
occurred. We apologize to Dr. Rowe and her son for their experience, and
have fully refunded their travel. We are proud to serve customers of
all backgrounds and are committed to providing a positive, safe travel
experience for everyone who flies with us," Gilson said in a statement.
Rowe,
a Houston family medicine doctor, said her 8-year-old son "was
devastated" by the incident and took the blanket once they were seated
and covered his face, Berg said. He was in tears when she checked on him, Berg said.
Berg
said American Airlines "has been provided the opportunity to do the
right thing," and that includes taking steps to "make sure that people
aren't treated this way, in particular women of color."
He said Rowe is
contemplating a lawsuit against the airline.
Gilson
told CNN that the airline is planning to hire a chief inclusion and
diversity officer, but did not say if that was related to this recent
incident.
American Airlines ordered all of its
employees to take anti-racism training after the NAACP issued a travel
advisory in October 2017, warning African-American travelers the airline
"could subject them to disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions."
The NAACP lifted the advisory last July, citing American Airlines' progress.
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