Rabbi and wife sue JetBlue after they were removed from Palm Springs to New York flight by 'antisemitic' plane crew who 'refused to allow him to switch seats for religious reasons'

A rabbi and his wife have sued JetBlue over claims they were kicked off a flight from Palm Springs to New York by 'antisemitic' staff following a request to switch seats for religious purposes.

Abraham Lunger and his wife, Miriam Lunger, were removed from the aircraft after the rabbi informed flight crew that, as an Orthodox Jew, he is 'unable to sit next to a woman unless she is a blood relative or his wife', the lawsuits states.

Mr Lunger had been allocated a seat next to a female passenger and asked to be seated beside his wife or another male instead.

But instead of allowing the switch, a confrontation ensued between the Lungers and the flight crew, who are accused of rejecting the request outright and then removing the couple from the plane. 

During the incident, a male passenger offered to sit next to Mr Lunger to resolve the issue, but the plane's captain said it would create a 'weight imbalance', it is claimed.

A rabbi and his wife have sued JetBlue over claims they were kicked off a flight by 'antisemitic' staff following a request to switch seats for religious purposes. Stock photo

Abraham Lunger and his wife, Miriam Lunger, were removed from the aircraft after the rabbi informed flight crew that, as an Orthodox Jew, he is 'unable to sit next to a woman unless she is a blood relative or his wife'. Staff declined to accommodate for the request and removed them from the aircraft instead, a lawsuit claims. Stock photo

The Lungers are named as plaintiffs in the case along with Brucha Ungar, another Orthodox Jew who was traveling with them and was also removed from the flight following the incident.

JetBlue is named as the defendant along with a female flight attendant, who is referred to as Jane Doe because her identity currently remains unknown.

The airline, which is accused of 'malicious [and] willful' religious and racial discrimination, told DailyMail.com it is 'proud to serve millions of customers each year from many different backgrounds'.

'We do our best to accommodate our customers' various requests while ensuring all customers are provided the experience they are expecting from JetBlue. Due to pending litigation, we will not be commenting further,' a statement from JetBlue said.

The Lungers and Mrs Ungar were scheduled to travel on JetBlue Flight 2050 from Palm Springs International Airport to JFK on December 31, 2023, according to the complaint, which was filed in New York on February 27.

They are described in the lawsuit as Orthodox Jews who observe the traditions of the faith, including through their clothing and appearance.

Mr Lunger, who is described by his attorney as a 'respected rabbi', and Mrs Lunger, who works with special needs girls and serves lunch at a school, had tickets on one reservation. Mrs Ungar, a childcare provider, held a ticket on a separate reservation.

'Due to his religious beliefs, Mr Lunger is unable to sit next to a woman unless she is a blood relative or his wife,' the complaint states.

'Mr Lunger had no blood relatives on the flight so the only woman his religious beliefs allowed him to sit next was his wife.

'Upon arriving at the gate before boarding the flight, Mrs Lunger asked the JetBlue ticket agent if Mr Lunger could be seated next to her, or at least not next to another woman, due to his religious modesty beliefs.'

The agent said they could 'try to change their seats on the plane and make arrangements with other passengers' if the seating arrangements did not meet those needs, according to the lawsuit.

The couple were seated separately, with Mr Lunger in 18A and his wife in 21B.

'Mr Lunger waited patiently in his seat to see if the seat next to him would be taken by a man or a woman,' according to the complaint.

'When a woman went to sit in seat 18B, Mr Lunger quietly got up from his seat and stood in the aisle in order to adhere to his religious beliefs and not sit next to a female passenger.'

The complaint alleges that 'before Mr Lunger could ask someone to switch seats with him' the flight attendant identified as Jane Doe 'yelled at Mr Lunger to go back to his seat'.

He informed her of his religious beliefs but the attendant 'refused to accept that explanation and attempted to prevent Mr Lunger from switching seats with another passenger who had agreed to switch seats'.

'At no time while Mr Lunger was trying to observe his religious beliefs, did he force, become loud, or use a stern voice to intimidate any other passengers into changing seats with him,' according to the complaint, which said passengers 'often' switch seats on aircraft.

The pilot was called to the incident and then 'falsely told the plaintiffs that they could not change seats because it was a violation and it would cause a weight imbalance.'

'The seat change that Mr Lunger attempted to do was on the same side of the aircraft, just a few rows in front of his original seat,' the suit adds. It further claims that the 'man who offered to change seats was physically very similar in weight to Mr Lunger'.

'The pilot came out to speak to Mr Lunger, who had changed seats, and to Mrs Lunger and Mrs Ungar who had only tried to explain Mr Lunger's need to switch seats to Defendant Doe.

'The pilot told the three Plaintiffs, "Sorry, you have to get off the plane. The crew members don't feel safe flying with you. The flight will not leave with you on the plane".

'The only individuals kicked off of the flight were the plaintiffs who were each dressed in clothing, which readily identified them as Orthodox Jews.

'Even though other passengers, who were not dressed in Orthodox Jewish Attire, had switched seats on the plane, either with Mr Lunger or someone else, only the plaintiffs were kicked off the plane.

'Even though Mrs Lunger and Mrs Ungar had not been falsely accused of causing a weight imbalance by switching seats, like Mr Lunger had been, JetBlue and the pilot still kicked them off the plane.

'Another passenger, who was not dressed in Orthodox Jewish Attire, had also objected to Mr Lunger being denied the ability to observe his religion, but she was not kicked off the flight like Mrs Lunger and Mrs Ungar.'

Another passenger recorded audio of the confrontation in which the flight's captain is heard saying: '[If you don't] get off the airplane, we will deplane the rest of the airplane and leave you three on here.'

He adds later: 'Right now the in-flight [crew] does not feel comfortable with you on the aircraft, which means I need to take you off the aircraft.'

The passengers protest and at one point, one of the women is heard saying: 'We did nothing, we asked a favor for religious purposes and everybody please respect our religion. What did we do? Did we shoot, did we do anything, did we touch anybody? Nothing.'

The person who is recording the incident then insists 'people seem fine [and] happy to help' by switching seats to accommodate, but the crew continue to remove the passengers.

The lawsuit adds: 'Mortified and embarrassed, the plaintiffs exited the aircraft.

'The plaintiffs asked to get their suitcases but were told they could not. Once de-boarded, the plaintiffs spoke to the JetBlue ticket agent at the gate who informed them that JetBlue would not provide overnight accommodations, food or transportation.

'The plaintiffs had to call JetBlue to arrange for tickets for a return flight the following day, charging them for both the price change and ticket charge for same day change, and JetBlue claimed that plaintiffs never boarded their flight but rather missed the flight.'

The case alleges a civil right violation, discrimination and harassment.

Evan Brustein, a New York-based attorney at Brustein Law PLLC who is representing the three plaintiffs, told DailyMail.com: 'Everyone deserves to travel safely without fear of prejudice.

'Our clients boarded a plane expecting nothing more than to be taken home safely to their families. Instead, they were met with discrimination that scarred their experience because of their identity as Jews.

'Our clients are seeking justice in the courtroom and the reaffirmation that every individual, regardless of their religious beliefs, is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.'