Two veteran flight attendants have filed a lawsuit against United Airlines, alleging discrimination on charter flights for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dawn Todd, 50, and Darby Quezada, 44, claim that they were excluded from these coveted positions due to their race, age, religion, and appearance. The lawsuit, filed on Oct. 25 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.

According to the lawsuit obtained by NPR, United Airlines removed Todd and Quezada from the crews of Dodgers charter flights and replaced them with flight attendants who "fit a specific visual image." The suit claims that the airline favored young, white, female attendants with predominantly blond/blue-eyed features. Both Todd and Quezada, who have over 15 years of employment with United Airlines, allege that their race played a factor in their exclusion from the charter flights' staff.

The complaint also highlights discriminatory practices by white employees towards their minority counterparts during the charter flights. The lawsuit states that United employees and management referred to Todd and Quezada as "maids" and made derogatory remarks based on their ethnicity. Additionally, Quezada claimed to have been told to refrain from speaking Spanish with a Dodgers player as they were "in America."

The lawsuit emphasizes that both Todd and Quezada had spent more than a decade attempting to join the airline's program for staffing Dodgers flights. The highly desired positions allow flight attendants to earn up to double or even triple their usual pay due to longer flight times.

Todd, who has been with United Airlines for over 17 years, argues that her demotion has led to financial harm. She was instructed to clear her schedule for potential selection on random charter flights, causing her to miss out on additional compensation from regular United flights.

Sam Yebri, the attorney representing Todd and Quezada, stressed the significance of corporations like United taking responsibility for their staffing decisions. Yebri argues that regardless of an employee's race, age, or physical appearance, companies must address the severity of their actions.

United Airlines issued a statement to NPR denying the legitimacy of the claims, asserting that the company fosters an inclusive environment and does not tolerate discrimination. The airline aims to vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time United Airlines has faced discrimination accusations. In 2020, the company was targeted in a lawsuit alleging discrimination against Black and Jewish flight attendants for charter flights with its athletic teams. United's spokesperson, Jonathan Guerin, stated that the flight attendants selected for sports team charter flights are representative of the overall flight attendant population in terms of age and race.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, who these charter flights cater to, are not named as defendants in the lawsuit. Their spokesperson declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

As the legal battle unfolds, the outcome of the case will shed light on the alleged discriminatory practices faced by flight attendants in the competitive charter flight industry.