El Al being sued by Florida woman over gender discrimination

El Al statement: “Flight attendants are at the service of passengers.”

By JTA

 

A Florida woman reportedly is suing El Al for gender discrimination after she was forced to change seats to accommodate an ultra-Orthodox man.

Debra Ryder charged that a flight steward moved her to a seat in the back without her prior consent, Israeli media reported. The ultra-Orthodox man had refused to sit next to her and then moved into her aisle seat.

El Al plane

El Al plane – Photo by Nir Keidar

Ryder reportedly filed a lawsuit on Aug. 9 seeking some $12,500 in compensation, including for distress. She had obtained an aisle seat for medical reasons, she told Army Radio.

Ryder’s attorney, Orly Erez-Likhovsky of the Israel Religious Action Center, also has sent a letter to El Al demanding that it set and distribute specific instructions to employees on how to act when confronted with such cases, Globes reported.

“Flight attendants are at the service of passengers, they are faced with different requests and they try to help as much as possible,” El Al said in a statement. “The passenger’s complaint will be looked into and dealt with accordingly.”

 

View original HAARETZ publication at: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/florida-woman-sues-el-al-over-gender-segregation-reports-say-1.457911