She Was Asked to Switch Seats. Now She's Charging El Al With Sexism
 

Good for her. El Al ought stop urging women to give up their seats. If some yahoo doesn't want to sit next to any person who is in her assigned seat, then he should be the one to move.

As to the yahoo on the subject flight, I am sure that he could have wondered back into coach and find a man in a center seat between two other men who would have been more than willing to swap seats with him.

I just don't get it!! Why she sued against LY? She doesn't understand. Why she cannot sit right next to him. Because she is not Jewish, but he is orthodox Jewish. He's very Jewish.

You didn't get it.
He didn't want to sit next to her because he is primitive.

She should have patted the poor fellow on the hand before leaving her seat and wished him well.

;)

The solution is simple in this case. Someone in C doesn't want to sit next to a woman? Move the woman to F and the man to Y. No room? Boot him

1. She is Jewish. In fact, she is Orthodox Jewish (but not ultra-Orthodox).

2. There is no such thing as being "very Jewish". Someone is either Jewish or he is not. He can be "very religious" or "very traditional" but not "very Jewish".

3. She did not particularly want to sit next to him. She wanted to sit in the seat she was assigned, no matter who was in the adjacent seat.

All that said, I don't think she has a valid case against LY. She was asked by an FA if she was willing to change her seat and she agreed. I have been asked by FAs on some flights if I was willing to change my seat to accommodate another passenger and as long as I was given another aisle seat I agreed -- thus giving up any right I would have to complain later.

She filed suit against LY because LY discriminated against her based on her sex. If she was male then LY would not have asked her to move. It is unlawful to discriminate against people based on their sex. LY violated the law and she has filed suit, no doubt in large measure, to ensure that LY doesn't similarly violate the law in the future by asking people to move based on their sex.

It is time for LY to enter the modern age and tell their customers that while any particular customer may treat women unequally, they cannot and will not do so themselves. Customers may live in the 14th century, but no company - particularly those dependent upon modern technology - ought.

Whilst disagreeing with the man in the story, I find it difficult to agree that the woman was 'discriminated' against. She was politely asked if she minded moving to what the crew felt was a better seat anyway. She agreed. Why is that called 'discrimination'? And if she would have preferred not to sit next to a strange man and he would be asked to move, would that be called 'discrimination' as well?

I am not defending his actions, which I find disagreeable - especially as there is so much space between seats in business class on the 777. However, it cannot be called 'discrimination'.

I don't quite follow why it is regarded as being more 'modern' to throw caution to the wind and insist on men and women being forced to be together at close quarters. Just open a newspaper and see how many sexual harassment cases are brought all the time. How many women travellers have complained about unwanted advances from neighbouring (male) passengers? Once again, you may not approve of his behaviour, but it is not a question of 'discrimination' or of 'unequal treatment'.

If a man refuses to shake hands with a woman you would say that is 'discrimination', or 'offensive to women'.

If my wife or one of my daughters prefers not to shake hands with men is that also 'discrimination' or 'offensive to men'?

'm not sure that I agree that she has a case on the basis of what we know about this specific case. If she was asked if she would move because they wanted to enable a couple to sit together, or a family, or colleagues, nobody would be crying foul. "Asking" someone to make a seat switch because of someone's perception of their religion doesn't seem to be unfair.

Did they pressure her? Did they make her feel like there would be an issue if she declined? If yes, then absolutely unacceptable. But a polite request from the FA I can't see as an affront.

I do have an issue with the FA using a lie about the better seat up front, however. She should have been completely open about the reason and then let the woman decide. If she had declined, either he would have deplaned, or swapped with a man who feels fine sitting next to a woman.

I guess what needs to happen is that they need to start asking the men to shift around the cabin rather than the women?

mikebg and yosithezet, you're missing the point that Indelaware made. The facts that she was asked politely, that she was not pressured, and that she agreed don't matter. The reason for the request doesn't matter either. What matters is that she was asked to move because she was a woman. I am not a lawyer, but I believe that in some jurisdictions this would be illegal. And requesting only men to move would be as discriminatory, of course.

Shuly

Back in the ancient days (a few years ago) when Delta Biz Elite had 2-2-2 seating, I found myself sitting next to an attractive young lady. A young (30's) American Orthodox man sitting in a nearby row complained about sitting next to a woman.

The FA publicly asked if there was a woman who was willing to change seats and, to my great dismay, the young lady did. The FA then asked, "Is everyone satisfied now?" and I replied, "No. A minute ago I was seated next to a gorgeous woman and now there is a man in her seat."

Everyone, including the young lady, the FA, and the Orthodox man, laughed loudly and the flight continued with no problem.

Man doesn't want to sit next to her because she is a woman.

Flight attendant asks her to move because she is the woman the man does not want to sit next to because she is a woman.

If I were in charge of civilized society, those with special needs over which they have complete control (like the man in this story) would be the ones to move, not the woman who is being asked to move because she is a woman. Those with special needs outside their control, of course, would not be asked to move.

If she was a man, she would not have been asked to move.

The article says the suit may be brought in Tel Aviv - I have no idea what Israeli law says about such discrimination.

No. I think you need to rewrite that:

"Person does not want to sit next to them because they are of the opposite sex."

My wife would not be 100% happy to be flying a long distance next to a strange man, and not for reasons of religion. Neither would any of our daughters.

There is a way of guaranteeing not to seat next to a woman if the prospect of that so offends you: you could purchase the seat next to you. If that man could afford a business class seat, surely he could afford two economy seats.