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The passenger who sparked the incident was detained upon landing but later released without charges.
A routine flight to Tel Aviv has turned into a legal battle when United Airlines diverted a plane halfway across the Atlantic last year because a Jewish passenger briefly sat in a crew seat while waiting for the bathroom.
Fifty-seven Jewish passengers filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court last week, claiming antisemitic discrimination in the incident.
According to the lawsuit, flight attendants warned they would turn the plane around if the passenger didn’t vacate the crew seat, a threat passengers dismissed. Despite being halfway to Israel, the aircraft reversed course back to Newark.
Many were traveling to observe Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut, only to face hours of delays trying to rebook at Newark, with some never receiving promised hotel vouchers.
One plaintiff wearing a kippah claims when he asked for rebooking assistance, a flight attendant told him, “Go ask your people.”
The passenger who sparked the incident was detained upon landing but later released without charges. In a statement to Ynet, United Airlines firmly denied wrongdoing.
“One passenger who was a safety and security risk caused the flight to return to Newark,” the airline said. “Our crew put safety first and exhibited professionalism in managing this matter, and we will vigorously defend against these false allegations.”
However, attorney Yoram Nachimovsky argues the airline’s extreme response deliberately targeted the Jewish passengers he was representing solely because of their faith.
“If one person is acting bad, it doesn’t mean everyone around them is responsible,” Nachimovsky said, seeking unspecified damages and mandatory sensitivity training for United staff.
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