Alaska Airlines Sued by Flight Attendants Over Religious Discrimination

Alaska Airlines is being sued by two flight attendants who were fired after questioning the company's support for the Equality Act.

The conservative Christian legal group First Liberty Institute filed the federal lawsuit this week in Seattle.

Both plaintiffs, Marli Brown and Lacey Smith, filed charges of religious discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Alaska Airlines in August 2021, and were issued right-to-sue letters earlier this year by the commission.

The lawsuit claims Alaska Airlines created a work environment that is hostile toward religion.

Alaska Airlines operates Horizon Air, which offers the only airline service out of Pangborn Airport

In early 2021, the airline announced its support for the Equality Act on an internal employee message board and invited employees to comment.

The two flight attendants questioned the airlines' posture in response.

The lawsuit claims both plaintiffs had exemplary records as employees, and were subsequently investigated, questioned by airline authorities, and eventually fired from their jobs.

It also said that when they were fired, the Airline said the two flight attendants’ comments were “discriminatory,” “hateful,” and “offensive.”

The airline and the flight attendants union are named as defendants in the lawsuit that demands a jury trial for the two flight attendants.

The complaint also says, Alaska Airlines affirms its disregard for religion as a protected class by its repeated statements of support for other protected classes while omitting the protected class of religion.”