A rabbi and his wife say they were booted by JetBlue staff who acted “antisemitic” after a dispute over seats related to religious beliefs.
Videos by Suggest
Abraham Lunger and his wife, Miriam, New Yorkers, were removed from a Palm Springs-to-New York City flight on New Year’s Eve after Rabbi Lunger notified the flight crew that, as an Orthodox Jew, he cannot sit next to a woman unless she is a blood relative or his wife, as stated in a February filing obtained by The New York Post.
A good Samaritan reportedly offered to switch seats with the offending female passenger. He intended to sit next to the rabbi. However, rather than facilitating the change, a confrontation erupted between the Lungers and the flight crew, according to court documents.
The lawsuit claims the pilot said changing seats would violate regulations, possibly causing a “weight imbalance” on the plane. They instructed Lunger to leave the aircraft.
The lawsuit states that Lunger’s wife, along with travel mate Brucha Ungar, was also instructed to leave the plane.
JetBlue Submitted a Motion to Dismiss the Rabbi’s Lawsuit
Meanwhile., JetBlue has recently submitted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
“JetBlue’s policy is clear: passengers may not occupy a seat other than the passenger’s assigned seat. Plaintiffs breached JetBlue’s contractual policy and were removed from the aircraft as a result. No other facts matter: Plaintiffs cannot maintain their claims — for discrimination or otherwise,” the court filings state.
However, one Civil rights attorney says it’s simply a case of yet another travel nightmare. He believes the incident isn’t discrimination based on religious belief.
“There is no constitutional right to avoid sitting next to a woman because of your religious beliefs,” attorney Ron Kuby (who isn’t involved in the case) told The Post.
“We have all ended up in seats that we don’t like on an airplane,” Ruby added. “This is not anti-semitism. This is life … the airline industry.”
Evan Brustein, the attorney for Rabbi Lunger, pushed back at JetBlue’s request to have the case dismissed.
“The JetBlue flight attendant and pilot kicked the plaintiffs off the flight. Not because of seat assignments or weight imbalance but rather antisemitism and discrimination,” Brustein told The Post. “It also appears that instead of addressing the racism and hatred of their employees, JetBlue has doubled down on hate excusing this conduct.”
“JetBlue is proud to serve millions of customers each year from many different backgrounds,” a JetBlue spokesperson said about the incident. “We do our best to accommodate our customers’ various requests while ensuring all customers are provided the experience they are expecting from JetBlue. Due to pending litigation, we will not be able to comment further.”