US Fines Lufthansa $4 Million for Denying Boarding to Jewish Passengers

This marks the largest fine the US Department of Transportation has ever issued against an airline for civil rights violations.

Parked aircrafts operated by German airline Lufthansa are pictured at Berlin Brandenburg BER airport Willy-Brandt in Schoenefeld near Berlin, Germany, on May 31, 2021. Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) ordered Lufthansa on Oct. 15 to pay a $4 million fine following a May 2022 incident, in which the German airline denied boarding to 128 Jewish passengers.

This marks the largest fine the DOT has ever issued against an airline for civil rights violations. The department stated that Lufthansa was being fined for allegedly discriminating against Jewish passengers.