April 26, 2003
Source: The Associated Press
On April 26, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "the government is accusing [American Airlines] of violating passengers' civil rights... On Friday, the Transportation Department issued its first racial bias complaint ever against an airline, saying that 10 people were removed from American flights or denied boarding because they were perceived to be Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian or Muslim... Most of the incidents cited in the administrative complaint happened to U.S. citizens and occurred within three months of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the department said."