Arab-operated airlines that don’t allow Israelis to board flights from the United States should be punished, Sen. Charles Schumer said in a letter obtained by The Post.
The letter from Schumer (D-NY)New York’s senior senator blasted a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urges him to fine airlines such as Kuwait Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines for violating US federal laws by discriminating against Israeli passport holders who are not allowed to board.
“I believe the Department of Transportation must require any airline to take any person from America on any flight where they have a legal means (i.e. a visa or some other status) to enter that country,” Schumer said in the letter.
“If an airline refuses, that is discrimination, and should be fined and enjoined under our laws.”
The fine is $2,500 per aggrieved customer.
Schumer’s letter follows a complaint in November from Israeli citizen Eldad Gatt after he was refused a JFK-to-London ticket on Kuwait Airways when the airline didn’t provide the option to select Israel as the state where his passport was issued.
“The bottom line is that American law prohibits discrimination by air carriers on the basis of national origin, and it is clear that DOT should help enforce that law,” Schumer said in a statement.