American Airlines has agreed to halt its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring and employment practices, in line with a growing trend among major corporations reassessing their commitment to DEI initiatives — many of which were made in 2020 in the fallout of George Floyd’s death and the subsequent riots. The decision came after pressure from America First Legal (AFL), a conservative watchdog group, which filed a complaint accusing the airline of discriminatory practices that violate federal laws regarding equal employment opportunities.
AFL’s complaint, filed in January, specifically targeted American Airlines for engaging in race and sex-based discrimination in hiring, promotional processes, and recruitment programs, such as its Cadet Academy. AFL argued that the airline, which has received over $140 million in federal contracts since 2008, had violated Executive Order 11246, which mandates that employers receiving federal contracts must not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. According to AFL, American Airlines had prioritized diversity goals over merit, undermining the principle of equal opportunity.
Following an informal compliance meeting with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), American Airlines agreed to end its DEI-driven employment policies. AFL celebrated this development as a victory for merit-based hiring, with Will Scolinos, the group’s legal counsel, issuing a statement praising the decision. “American companies must return to using merit—not the desire to check a DEI box—to select the most skilled and qualified employees,” Scolinos said.
Scolinos further emphasized that the change would help ensure that companies hire, promote and recruit based solely on their ability to perform the job as opposed to their race, gender, or any other characteristic unrelated to job performance. This stance echoes the sentiments of other conservative groups and individuals who believe that DEI programs often lead to unfair systems that harm the pursuit of excellence and meritocracy.
American Airlines is far from the only company to reverse its DEI policies in the face of growing opposition. Earlier this year, both United Airlines and Southwest Airlines faced similar complaints from AFL, accusing them of using race and sex-based quotas in their hiring processes. Both companies have since agreed to end such practices, including benchmarks for recruiting based on race and sex.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby became the subject of widespread criticism when comments he made in 2021 resurfaced, insisting that the airline was committed to ensuring that 50% of their graduating pilot classes would be women or people of color. These remarks were widely condemned, with many detractors accusing the airline of putting “woke” DEI commitments ahead of passenger safety.
Critics have raised alarms about the growing emphasis on diversity in hiring within the industry, particularly when it comes to pilots and other high-skill roles that directly impact safety.
Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came under fire for recruiting individuals with “severe intellectual” disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and other mental and physical impairments as part of a diversity and inclusion initiative. Critics questioned whether such efforts to diversify the workforce could compromise safety standards in an industry where precision and expertise are paramount.
For instance, when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 suffered a plug door failure in January, social media users and public figures linked the incident to what they saw as the overemphasis on diversity over competence within the industry.
The reversal of DEI policies by major corporations like American Airlines reflects a broader cultural and political shift, where more and more companies are reconsidering their commitment to these initiatives amid mounting opposition.
Critics of DEI believe that such programs often prioritize diversity over merit and can lead to discrimination against qualified individuals who do not meet diversity criteria, arguing that DEI policies can create division and resentment in the workplace, particularly when people feel that hiring decisions are made based on race, gender, or other identity markers rather than qualifications.
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That any airline would consider DEI hiring of pilots or mechanics or de-icers or anyone directly related to the safety of an airplane is unacceptable and shows just how dangerous these woke assholes are.
Why should we consider excellence and meritocracy in hiring when we can pursue political chimeras instead? That should be one of the founding principles of the Democrat party.