Summary Bebe Rexha reported being "mentally abused" by Lufthansa staff due to speaking Albanian. Lufthansa addressed the incident, emphasizing diversity and equal opportunity in their corporate culture. Rising discrimination complaints on flights in the United States were noted by the Department of Transportation.
Bebe Rexha, the American singer and songwriter, has alleged that a Lufthansa staff member mentally abused her in what she claimed to be a “hate crime”. In a series of Instagram stories, the singer claimed that the airline employee attempted to stop her from flying while she was trying to board the plane. “Hate crime” Bebe Rexha reported that a male staff member at Munich Airport (MUC) attempted to prevent her from boarding the flight because she spoke to him in Albanian, as she believed he was from Albania.
The 34-year-old singer was born in Brooklyn, New York, the United States, but her family is Albanian and from North Macedonia. In a video posted on Instagram, Rexha said: “I have been threatened because I thought the security agent was Albanian. I spoke to him in Albanian asking where to get my ticket and now he is banning me from the flight.
” On another Instagram story, the singer wrote: “I believe this to be a hate crime because I am Albanian. He continued to mentally abuse me to make me feel that he was more powerful than he was. Not one of the women at Lufthansa stepped in or said something.
” According to the singer, the staff member would not let her take his name. In response to the situation, a Lufthansa spokesperson told The Irish News that they have been in direct contact with Bebe Rexha. “We reached out to Bebe Rexha and are in direct contact with her to understand the situation.
As an international airline, we connect people and countries around the globe. Our guests and employees come from all over the world. Diversity and equal opportunity are core values for our company and our corporate culture.
We do not tolerate any discriminatory behaviour of any kind.” Lufthansa’s shortest international routes don’t extend beyond 200 miles. Discrimination onboard While discrimination on airlines is not a major issue in Europe, it has become a concern in the United States .
Data from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) showed a rise in discrimination-related complaints in 2023. The DOT received 223 such complaints, up from 176 in 2022. Indeed, accusations of discrimination onboard aircraft have received significant attention.
Incidents involving legacy carriers like American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have faced particular criticism. This increase can be partly attributed to the record-high number of air travel submissions in 2023, second only to 2020. In 2023, the DOT received 96,853 submissions, compared to 86,240 in calendar year 2022.
Additionally, several high-profile discrimination cases on US aircraft have made headlines this year. In 2024, eight men were removed from an American Airlines flight following a complaint about their body odor. Three of these men have filed a discrimination lawsuit against the carrier.
The airline is set to make significant changes to its DEI approach..
