Discrimination lawsuit filed against UsAir

[silverbird007]

This is exactly why I don't give out buddy passes, with a few exceptions. When someone asks me I just say I don't give them out because you can't get on, and I don't want you to get stuck anywhere. I only have 3 people that use them, they know how it works and they know the drill. I don't have to worry about them. If you give them out to someone and your not 100% sure of them, your asking for trouble.

 

[nycbusdriver]

This is exactly why I don't give out buddy passes, with a few exceptions. When someone asks me I just say I don't give them out because you can't get on, and I don't want you to get stuck anywhere. I only have 3 people that use them, they know how it works and they know the drill. I don't have to worry about them. If you give them out to someone and your not 100% sure of them, your asking for trouble.

I agree. I only allow them for the Shuttle.

Even the most level-headed people become whining, screaming idiots at the airport, and that's before they're denied boarding because they're on a buddy pass and the flight fills up.

 

[FLYUSAIRWAYS]

I'm flushing my 16 down the toilet first thing tomorrow morning.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Clueless buddy pass riders have been the bane of gate agents, ever since the program started some twenty years ago. A smart employee on gives buddy passes to those she or he trusts implicitly, with the admonishment that the only things the "buddy" may say to a gate agent is "Yes, Sir/Ma'am", "No, Sir/Ma'am" and "Thank You". and to never, ever argue with an agent or F/A. Along with being advised of the dress code.

Given the bad publicity, I would really not want to be the employee (or soon to be ex employee). I imagine the "buddies" are off his/her X-mas card list.

On "buddy passes" and the low S/B priority of same in general there is a saying "friends don't friends have buddy passes." In my experience, most people who have used them - or tried to - never do it again.

 

[UPNAWAY]

AWA had a famous case were a blind buddy passed rider was put in first class (for convenience sake by the flight crew) and a paying passenger stated she was not paying $2000 to sit with a guide dog at her feet for the entire flight so they moved the guest pass rider to the bulkhead. She did not complain however other passengers did and the news ran with the story how AWA made some poor blind lady get out of first class. Guess what Uncle Sam sued us on behalf of the ADA. I never once heard anyone mention that she was a guest pass rider, that changes everything……..or at least it should.

 

[necigrad]

No UPANDAWAY, it doesn't change ANYTHING in that case. Once the person got upgraded they're upgraded. The ACAA doesn't permit us to discriminate against someone because of a disability. Nowhere in the ACAA does it exempt buddy pass riders from that. In addition, I fail to see the problem the woman had. The dog should have been at the feet of the blid person, not the other passenger. If she had a problem with the dog then she should have been moved herself. Because of how this went down moving the nonrev became a violation because it was due to his disability. Had they just not upgraded him in the first place there would have been no violation.

I've got to wonder why someone would even use a buddy pass for a funeral anyway. If I'm going to a funeral I'm more interested in getting there then saving a couple hundred bucks. Standby would be my LAST choice.

 

[UPNAWAY]

She wasn't discriminated against she was treated exactly like all other buddy pass rdiers would that is ultimate equality!

 

[nycbusdriver]

I've got to wonder why someone would even use a buddy pass for a funeral anyway. If I'm going to a funeral I'm more interested in getting there then saving a couple hundred bucks. Standby would be my LAST choice.

I agree, except there may have been no other choice. Deaths seem to come at the most inopportune times, and people die long after someone might get a cheap fare on Expedia (the nerve of them!)

A regular ticket might well have been priced beyond their ability to pay for it. Even "bereavement" fares usually only knock off a few bucks. A heavily discounted buddy pass might be the difference between paying your last respects to beloved Aunt Blabby (who was like a mother to you,) or not going at all.

 

[ContUNITEus]

Yes, the Lawsuit is crazy, but how many employees know it is Acceptable to wear Jeans in First Class? My Son is often given a hard time about wearing jeans(They are not worn or faded) and told he can not upgrade because of them. Below is the dress code from the Employee Travel Manual which can be found on wings...


DRESS GUIDELINES FOR LEISURE TRAVEL
US Airways asks its employees and their pass riders to exercise good sound judgment when selecting
their travel attire. Attire should be in good repair, neat, clean, and conservative in appearance. In all
situations common sense should be the determining factor.
Unacceptable attire in either Coach or First Class/Envoy includes any clothing that is torn, faded,
soiled, wrinkled, cut−off, has ragged edges or holes; clothing with offensive graphics or terminology;
and provocative or revealing clothing such as micro/mini−skirts, bare midriff, halter, tank, tube, sports
bra−type tops, and pajamas.
Coach Class: Pass riders may wear casual attire, including shorts (no shorter than three inches above
the knee), t−shirts, jogging suits or athletic clothing, baseball−style caps, beach footwear (including
flip−flops and Croc−style footwear), and athletic shoes.
First Class or Envoy: Pass riders may wear casual attire, including blue or black denim jeans, skirts,
capri−style pants, and dress sandals, provided the attire is in good repair, neat, clean, and conserva-
tive. Unacceptable attire in First Class or Envoy includes t−shirts, shorts, jogging suits, athletic gear,
baseball−style caps, athletic−style shoes, or beach footwear (including flip−flops and Croc−style foot-
wear).
A good recommendation to follow is: “if you have to question if what you are wearing is appropriate,
then it most likely is not and should not be worn for travel on US Airways flights as a non−revenue
passenger.”

I can see though now how this IS really a legal problem for US Airways, and to a certain extend I am glad that it happened to them. Unfortunately, we don't know - exactly what they were wearing, and exactly what it is that was said by the agent.
To a certain extend, culturally speaking, more African-americans dress a certain way, that is contrasting to how normally white people or other races would be dressed.

The goal of the plaintiffs attorney is to establish that there is a certain element of racism involved in how we are expected to dress in certain places in society. I know it is hard to understand but, think of it as business attire and where it originally comes from; then look at how a person, say - in Africa dresses conservatively. It comes down to who is truly to say what is right attire and what it is not, and who's culture/race it originates from.

When those guys go to court, they better be dressed in hoods as well, if that is what they were dressed in. Would love to see if the courts would ban them for having "inappropriate" attire.

I think clothes are clothes. But on this subject, the most of the world is sort of stuck "Western" attire driven by British standards, and not standards originating in say Uganda, India or Japan. As it stands right now, the white race has determined what is appropriate attire in the business world - and it's an uphill battle to change that.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

I wonder what department the employee who gave the buddy passes works (worked?) in. I venture to guess that he/she is not a gate agent. Regardless of department, the employee should have given "buddies" a thorough briefing. This story should also serve as a caution to be very careful indeed about giving out buddy passes. I really hope that US Airways does not settle this case.

 

[jimntx]

It would actually be nice to see some sort of dress code for all first class travelers. You don't have to wear a suit or a dress. However, can we please part with the cutoff shorts, pajama bottoms and wife beater shirts already? It is one thing to dress confortable, but it would be nice to see some class put back into first. The whole plane for that matter!

Surely you jest! At AA no one dressed as you describe would even get on the airplane, much less into F/C. And, arguing with the agent about ANYTHING, including the weather, can cause the employee to lose their own travel privileges.

 

[tadjr]

The goal of the plaintiffs attorney is to establish that there is a certain element of racism involved in how we are expected to dress in certain places in society.

No, the plantiff's attorney's goal is $$$. It is a rule that not ONLY buddy pass riders have to follow, but ALL employees and their families riding on pass travel tickets who want to sit in First Class on US Airways. If they didn't want to change or didn't have clothes to change in to, they could have been boarded in coach provided what they were wearing was suitable for coach travel (of course unless coach was full, then they could wait for the next seat open in coach.) The rules have been established for years and they are available to be given to pass riders and it's the employees responsibility to give them the info. It was not something made up on a whim by an agent to deny two black men a seat in FC. Same situation as going to a place with a dress code (restaurant, club, etc) and saying you were discriminated against because you werent wearing what is required to patronize that establishment. As long as the rule is posted and available (which the employee should have advised them of) and everyone is required to dress that way, it isnt discrimination if you are denied entry because you don't meet the requirements.
Also I've had an agent tell me I couldnt travel in FC wearing nice jeans. I advised them that actually we can wear jeans. She told me to wait and I'm sure it was her supervisor that came over and we were given boarding passes for first. There are a lot of "old school" agents out there that either dont nonrev or dont pay attention and didnt get the memo that we are truly casual now in non rev attire. This isnt discrimination either, its just someone not knowing the rules.

 

[nycbusdriver]

No, the plantiff's attorney's goal is $$$. It is a rule that not ONLY buddy pass riders have to follow, but ALL employees and their families riding on pass travel tickets who want to sit in First Class on US Airways. If they didn't want to change or didn't have clothes to change in to, they could have been boarded in coach provided what they were wearing was suitable for coach travel (of course unless coach was full, then they could wait for the next seat open in coach.) The rules have been established for years and they are available to be given to pass riders and it's the employees responsibility to give them the info. It was not something made up on a whim by an agent to deny two black men a seat in FC. Same situation as going to a place with a dress code (restaurant, club, etc) and saying you were discriminated against because you werent wearing what is required to patronize that establishment. As long as the rule is posted and available (which the employee should have advised them of) and everyone is required to dress that way, it isnt discrimination if you are denied entry because you don't meet the requirements.
Also I've had an agent tell me I couldnt travel in FC wearing nice jeans. I advised them that actually we can wear jeans. She told me to wait and I'm sure it was her supervisor that came over and we were given boarding passes for first. There are a lot of "old school" agents out there that either dont nonrev or dont pay attention and didnt get the memo that we are truly casual now in non rev attire. This isnt discrimination either, its just someone not knowing the rules.

The company has every right to put restrictions on how its employees and guests dress when at or on the airline. I'm sure it has been challenged in court decades ago, and is settled.

What these buddy pass riders obviously don't understand is that the company does not have dress restrictions on paying customers (except for what might be unsafe or in violation of obscenity laws, which is another matter altogether.) We've all seen the pics of that gentleman who rides Envoy a lot (he's a FF) and cross-dresses in skimpy female outfits. He does it all the time, and US Airways won't tell him "NO," because THAT would be discriminatory in the operation of a public convenience.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Also I've had an agent tell me I couldnt travel in FC wearing nice jeans. I advised them that actually we can wear jeans. She told me to wait and I'm sure it was her supervisor that came over and we were given boarding passes for first. There are a lot of "old school" agents out there that either dont nonrev or dont pay attention and didnt get the memo that we are truly casual now in non rev attire. This isnt discrimination either, its just someone not knowing the rules.

The days have changed since nonrevs had to wear their Sunday best and that is a good thing. But that doesn't mean that overly casual is okay, especially up front. The new NR dress code is very reasonable, IMHO. I am sorry that the two buddy pass riders in this case mistook the guidelines against athletic wear to be discriminatory. I am even more sorry that their subsequent actions will jeopardize the employee's flight benefits or employment. I am also sorry for the sloppy "journalism" and - judging from reader comments on the story - the lack of reading comprehension among the readers of it.

On passenger attire in general, I am not really thrilled about the CHPR guy who likes to dress in womens' undies. I do understand that he does cover up if requested to do so. Nor am I thrilled about all the sleeveless teeshirts, bare midriffs, skimpy shorts and flip flop beach shoes out there.

But that is how many Americans dress in general. Some years ago, I went to court to challenge a traffic ticket. It was a hot day;I did not wear suit jacket but did wear a shirt and tie and nice slacks. Other than the court clerk, I was the only person in the courtroom to wear a tie! (The judge was female and tieless under her robes). The other people appearing we dressed rather casually (including sleeveless teeshirts and shorts).

I believe that I had a good case in challenging the ticket, but also that dressing properly and being polite to judge did not hurt my case. The judge dismissed the ticket.

 

[jimntx]

Being older than dirt, I remember when everyone dressed to travel--particularly on airplanes. When one of my uncles got married in the late 50's (I was a mere child at the time. Oh, ok I was in my early teens.), he and his new wife flew to their honeymoon. I remember going with my father to take them to the airport. My uncle had suit and tie on. His new wife was wearing a suit, gloves, hat, and high-heel shoes. And, that was to fly from Birmingham, AL to New Orleans, LA for the honeymoon.

Now, we're lucky if the passengers don't violate some public indecency statute.