Passengers allege discrimination on Alaska Airlines flight

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004 | 11:02 a.m.

Nine Arab Muslims from Canada, Germany and Egypt have filed a federal lawsuit against Alaska Airlines alleging that the company discriminated against them and caused them to miss business meetings in Las Vegas.

According to the complaint filed Friday, the nine passengers boarded in Vancouver, British Columbia, an Alaska Airlines plane, which was scheduled to fly to Las Vegas on Sept. 29, 2003.

The lawsuit alleges that the plane was rerouted to Reno and all nine of the plaintiffs were forced off the plane and detained and interviewed by authorities based solely on their race and religion. They were not allowed to continue on the flight to Las Vegas, causing them to miss scheduled meetings.

"The defendant's flight crew employees acted with animus toward plaintiffs due to the plaintiff's race, ethnicity, national origin, and or religion," the complaint states.

The suit asks for unspecified damages from the company for defamation and emotional distress.

Alaska Airlines spokesman Sam Sperry said the company's policy prohibits discussing pending lawsuits.