Discrimination

Daily Times, August 10, 2006
Pakistani-born pilot sues New York-based airline

NEW YORK: A Pakistani-born pilot is suing New York JetBlue Airways Corporation for discrimination, claiming the airline withdrew a job offer on the basis of his background.

Faisal Baig, a US citizen raised in Yonkers (New York), claimed in the suit that an airline manager told him in March that he was a ‘security risk’.

“Are you saying that you are not hiring me because of my name or my religion? Are you saying you are not hiring me because of where I’m from?” said Baig according to the suit filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court. The manager replied, “Yes, and JetBlue considers you a security risk,” according to the suit.

Baig claimed that he was offered the job in February and had already been given a ticket to attend the airline’s training school in Orlando, Florida. The 40-year-old Muslim was a previous employee of Independence Air for almost six years.

“I was devastated. I’ve been living in this country since I was 7, and somebody’s now telling me I’m not a good American,” he said. Baig, now a resident of Raleigh (North Carolina), sought an unspecified sum of money in the suit. ap