• American Airlines Tile
    American Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AA/AAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1926
    Alliance:
    oneworld
    CEO:
    Robert Isom
    Country:
    United States
    Airline Group:
    American Airlines Group
    Region:
    North America
    Loyalty Program:
    AAdvantage

American Airlines is being sued by an ex-passenger that was handed over by the airline to the authorities after he matched the description of a burglary suspect. The passenger had to spend 17 days in a New Mexico detention center when he was arrested a year after the incident while attending the 4th of July celebrations. He was later released when the authorities realized they got the wrong guy. Let’s ‘investigate’ further.

Some context

Michael Lowe, a resident in the state of Arizona, was traveling from Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG) in Arizona to Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) in Nevada on May 12th, 2020. The American Airlines flight he was traveling on had a layover and a change of aircraft at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Texas.

While Mr Lowe’s flight was uneventful, the police at DFW started an investigation into a burglary at a duty-free store in the airport’s Terminal D. The crime took place just prior to Mr Lowe’s flight from Dallas. Upon further investigation into the suspect, the authorities used video surveillance and managed to trace him to the same terminal that Mr Lowe used to board his flight. In addition, there were also certain similarities in the color scheme of the suspect’s and Mr Lowe’s outfits.

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Michael Lowe made it to his destination without ever realizing what was going on. Photo: Getty Images

Detectives obtained a search warrant, forcing American Airlines to furnish all available data regarding all passengers on Mr Lowe’s flight. However, his lawyer alleges the airline only provided the authorities with his client’s data, which led to two arrest warrants being issued in his name just over a month later.

These warrants were issued unbeknownst to Mr Lowe. Indeed, he only found out about them while being arrested at a party on July 4th, 2021, when police reached the venue after a disturbance complaint and ran his name.

17 days in jail

Michael Lowe is suing American Airlines for negligence, along with mental, physical, and financial damages caused by spending over a fortnight in abysmal conditions at the Quay County, New Mexico Detention Center. According to documents obtained by WFAA, the lawsuit stated:

“The terror Mr Lowe experienced while imprisoned in Quay County for the next 17 days was existential. Placed in a quarantine pod, the facilities contempt for the health, safety and well-being of its inmates was immediately obvious, as not a single staff member nor inmate wore a face covering.”

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Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
 

Indeed, the lawsuit goes on to say Mr Lowe was forced to sleep on a concrete floor and was subjected to violent confrontations. He was released on the 17th day when the detective working the case and Tarrant County’s District Attorney’s Office concluded that he was innocent. Upon returning home he started looking into the matter and finally filed the suit yesterday. The basis of his argument is that American Airlines failed to comply with the search warrant by only providing his data to the authorities. Therefore, the carrier is responsible for causing physical and mental problems to Mr Lowe.

Simple Flying has reached out to American Airlines seeking to hear their side of the story. We will update this article when a response is received.

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What do you make of Mr Lowe spending 17 days in jail for a crime he didn’t commit? Please, let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source: WFAA