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A Black woman, Dr. Briana Hicks, has filed a federal lawsuit against Southwest Airlines, alleging racial discrimination after being removed from a flight last November. The incident occurred on a flight from Chicago Midway International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. According to the lawsuit, Dr. Hicks was seated in the exit row and reportedly had her phone in airplane mode when a flight attendant singled her out during an emergency procedure briefing.
The situation escalated despite another passenger's intervention, which led to Dr. Hicks being removed from the aircraft. She expressed the impact of the incident in a statement: "Being singled out for mistreatment based on my race was painful enough; enduring that discrimination on top of being publicly removed from a flight and having my entire travel schedule derailed was almost unbearable."
Dr. Hicks attempted to report the incident to other flight attendants and airline supervisors but was directed to file complaints online. Southwest Airlines responded by stating that she failed to adhere to orderly conduct rules onboard.
