Ukraine Airlines to compensate Israeli couple over anti-Semitic slurs

The two were “humiliated in public” when ground crew members made remarks such as, “Why do Jews always have a problem paying money?”

By Shimon Yaish and Shlomi Diaz, Israel Hayom via JNS

An Israeli court has ruled that Ukraine International Airlines will have to pay an Israeli couple 5,000 shekels ($1,550) in compensation for publicly humiliating the two in an incident that happened two and a half years ago.

According to the couple, airline personnel refused to fly them from Vienna to Israel even though their luggage was already checked in.

The couple was asked to pay an extra charge of 60 euros ($70) due to excess weight in their carry-ons. The two attempted to move an item from one bag into another and were “humiliated in public” when airline workers made anti-Semitic remarks, such as “Why do Jews always have a problem paying money?”

The workers refused to give the luggage back to the couple until after the two arrived in Israel on a different flight.

The airline denied the allegations, but did not contradict the plaintiffs’ testimony.

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.