A dispute over a car seat that ended badly has led a New York couple to file a federal lawsuit accusing Spirit Airlines of anti-semitic discrimination.
The airlines-over-familys-alleged-anti-semitic-ordeal/?slreturn=20190407075220″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>suit was filed by Fort Lauderdale attorney Yechezkel Rodal on behalf of Yisroel Sternberg and Chana Beck, who were traveling from Newark Liberty International Airport to Florida on Jan. 8 with their children, ages three, two and six weeks.
The couple claims they had a baby seat approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, but the car seat also doubled as a stroller and strollers are not allowed onboard Spirit flights.
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Sternberg and Beck complained to a supervisor, who eventually allowed them to bring the seat onto the plane. But they allege that the flight attendants continued with a “discriminatory campaign” against them that included being called “retarded Jews,” according to the complaint – and having their return tickets canceled as well as being banned from future Spirit flights.
By contrast, the airline claims that the couple became belligerent when confronted by flight attendants over moving seats and not supervising their children,
The crew called 911 on the couple and said they were “being disruptive and cursing at the flight attendants,” according to the complaint. When the plane landed, two Broward sheriff deputies escorted the family off the plane.
“If it was just a bad experience then we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but the fact they called the police is just outrageous,” Rodal said. “With anti-Semitism on the rise, it’s extra critical to bring this to people’s attention that it’s not OK.”
Spirit media relations manager Derek Dombrowski declined to comment on pending litigation but said in a statement: “Spirit Airlines strives to maintain a welcoming environment for all of our guests, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination.”
