A group of 57 Jewish passengers have brought a civil action lawsuit against United Airlines over a mid-flight incident which resulted in the "collective punishment and emotional trauma," according to Manhattan Court filings.
The incident in question took place during a United Airlines flight to Tel Aviv on April 22, 2023. According to the lawsuit, about three hours into the flight, a single Jewish passenger sat in an empty flight attendant seat while waiting to use the toilet.
The flight attendant reported the incident to the flight captain as a "security threat," and the captain chose to return the plane to Newark, US.
After landing, the staff refused to reboard all visibly Jewish passengers, the suit alleges, and offered "no timely alternative flights, accommodations, or travel options."
When a passenger asked for an explanation, one flight attendant said, "Go ask your own kind."
The plaintiffs, represented by Yoram Nachimovsky, claim they were subjected to religious and ethnic discrimination by United Airlines during an international flight, "resulting in collective punishment, emotional trauma, and disruption of their travel plans."
The suit adds that United Airlines "acted willfully, wantonly, and with reckless disregard for the plaintiffs' rights, targeting visibly Jewish passengers as a group, denying them the continuation of their journey, and subjecting them to humiliation and prejudice solely based on their religion and ethnicity."
The lawsuit, dated 23 April 2023, also states that the crew were not examined for biases and prejudices.
As a result of the plane turning back "for no valid reason," the passengers were unable to attend Remembrance Day and Independence Day ceremonies in Israel.
The lawsuit has been filed primarily on the basis of a violation of New York State Human Rights Law, relating to "unlawful discrimination against "Plaintiffs based on religion and ethnicity."
The second cause of action is intentional infliction of emotional distress, the third – negligent hiring and retention – and the final cause relates to punitive damages for willful misconduct.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, emotional distress damages, and punitive damages.
United Airlines disputed the claims, calling them "meritless." The airline's statement said, "One passenger who was a safety and security risk caused the flight to return to Newark."
"Our crew put safety first and exhibited professionalism in managing this matter, and we will vigorously defend against these false allegations.”
Other incidents involving United Airlines
This is not the first time that the airline has been called out on its potential discriminatory actions against Jewish and Israeli passengers.
Since October 7, United Airlines has come under fire for allowing its crew to wear Palestinian flag pins, a decision which is set to be banned as of May 28, 2025.
In a separate mid-flight incident in March 2025, a visibly Jewish man was forced out of an airplane bathroom with "his pants around his ankles," and then subjected to a virulent antisemitic rant, the Independent reported.
Yisroel Liebb, 20, was traveling from Mexico to the US and was arrested by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents after he was forcibly removed from an airplane bathroom pantsless by the plane's pilot. The agents told Liebb that he had "no rights here."
In his complaint, Liebb said that he felt “sexually violated and embarrassed after having been publicly exposed in the nude."
The incident occurred after the passenger allegedly spent too much time in the bathroom.
In November 2023, United Airlines suspended one of its pilots, Ibrahim Mossallam, after he called the Hamas October 7 massacre "brave."
