Northwest (Airlines) refuses gay couple's award tickets

[deadparrot]

Northwest Airlines took heat from the ACLU on Thursday for refusing to honor award tickets that a gay couple in Los Angeles tried to use for a trip to Florida.

In a letter to Northwest, the legal advocacy group said the airline's action violated California's nondiscrimination laws.

Rob Anders, a longtime airline industry employee, won the tickets at a holiday party in December. When he tried to redeem the tickets for a trip with his registered domestic partner, the airline refused, saying it would only recognize a spouse, another airline employee or a dependent child as a suitable "companion" for the award ticket.

"What happened to Mr. Anders and his partner violates California law and is clearly discriminatory," said Christine P. Sun, ACLU of Southern California staff attorney. "We are asking that the company not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or marital status and honor Mr. Anders' ticket for him and a companion."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20060212/co_po/northwestrefusesgaycouplesawardtickets

[babylonsister]

1. This is stupid; if his friend had been a 'girl', all would be well.

Sounds pretty discriminatory to me.

[liberalhistorian]

13. That's not necessarily true-

discrimination on the basis of marital status is not only far too common, it's legally and socially entrenched in so many areas. Like when they said it had to be a "spouse or dependent child." There's still far too much legal discrimination on the basis of marital status, and it's a slow, uphill battle to end it.

If you're single and you really want to get your blood boiling, check out the website for the American Association of Single People, www.unmarriedamerica.com. It has all kinds of details on the hundreds of myriad ways that federal, state and local legal, economic, financial, tax, social, etc., policies discriminate against singles.

I don't think married people even realize all the tangible and intangible benefits they receive just by virtue of being married-and the hell of it is that even if you've only known someone for a very short time, if you marry them, you have instant legal access to tons of legal, financial, tax, pension, health insurance, etc., benefits.

[babylonsister]

14. It's at odds with the 'fellow employee' rule NW supposedly has.

So either gender is okay if they work for NW? The whole thing makes no sense to me, and why the heck should they care who anyone choses to go on a vacation with? Especially an airline that services all different kinds of people.
Buddy passes on most airlines includes friends and are in fact geared for them; no mention is made of what your buddy's sexual or marital persuasion might or should be, so this sounds bizarre.

[liberalhistorian]

15. Not if the airline in question is

Northwest, it isn't bizarre. I've had the misfortune of having to fly with them. That's the way that airline operates, and its executives have their heads embedded firmly up their asses. No wonder they're broke.

[Neshanic]

19. Agree. They would laugh and joke about his "future" wife.

No problem. Does NW have a policy on non-marital sex? God that airline sucks.

[EFerrari]

2. F4ck these people. I hope the ACLU takes it to them.

:nuke:

[rodeodance]

3. oh for pete's sake!--day after day=the crapola gets worse.

[yorkiemommie1]

17. that's how i feel

every day a poke in the eye w/ a sharp stick.

[catmother]

4. ridiculous.

:wtf:

[Erika]

5. NW Airlines domestic reservation line -24 hours

1-800-225-2525

Might get them to start thinking about discrimination. Let them know people are watching them.

[Psephos]

6. Brilliant

The couple is a legally registered California domestic partnership. The cost of filling an otherwise-empty seat on a positive-space basis is maybe twenty or thirty dollars. Instead, the bankrupt airline will spend much more than that disputing this claim - waaaaaay more, if it turns into a litigation. Meanwhile, they lose a lot of business from gay passengers who will now choose a competitor.

No wonder they're broke.

Peace.

[ninkasi]

7. To me, it's simple

either the people concerned are human beings, or not. If they are human, which they clearly are, they are entitled to all other rights that other humans enjoy. That's my position, and I'm not going to change. Human rights are what is involved.

[babylonsister]

9. My thoughts exactly. Humans shouldn't ever have the 'luxury' of

discriminating against other humans. One is not better than another regardless of preferences.

[adarling]

8. take those bastards down!!!

Stupid assholes, can't believe they won't allow that.

[JI7]

10. an airline i will avoid until they change their policy

not that i really fly much or at all. but if i ever do.

[pitohui]

21. this ain't their policy to begin with

i guarantee this is not northwest policy, i DO fly a lot, this is not the way they treat their gay employees, of which they have many, often in highly visible front line positions

this is a mistake or maybe even something deliberate to make them look bad by a disgruntled employee

this is NOT policy, it will NOT stand

[rfkrfk]

11. what do you expect from scabs? n/t

[wellst0nev0ter]

16. Yet Another Reason Why I Refuse To Fly Their Planes

Local monopoly be damned. The way they treated those airline workers was abominable. Now this? They can go bugger themselves.

[cboy4]

12. I wonder if Northwest will "recognize" me not flying

in the future until it gets a clue and figures out it's 2006 and not 1956. (Just flew Northwest from California to Detroit)

I mean fuck, you just have to wonder why if Northwest has two options:

(1) Not recognizing a domestic partner for a stupid ticket

OR

(2) Risk gay people boycotting.....the company would avoid a boycott considering the last time I checked, airlines are struggling to make a profit. :wtf:

[Puglover]

18. Again my fellow DUers make

vilifying something sooo facile. Gee, if NWA is so homophobic then would all of the above posters please tell me why I am at the moment sitting in Playa del Carmen Mexico with my partner of 10 years. We both flew down here on passes that NWA provides us.
I've worked for NWA for 27 years and he flies on passes with the same authority as a married couple would fly. He also could have health care benefits if he chose to use them.

There is more to this story then the article suggests. It's amazing to me how DUers will cherry pick the media stories they want to believe and proclaim it gospel but others that we don't agree with are bullshit.

I'm not all that pro NWA. Management are typical corporate assholes no better and no worse than the current crop of management heading US companies. It's a business. Period. But I wish people would do a little research before they talk out of their asses.

[pitohui]

22. puglover is correct, ya'll

there is something wrong w. the story, it just don't fit

[pitohui]

20. this is sad, this is not normal northwest policy

they have many openly gay employees on the front line and have until now seemed to be one of the most gay-friendly big businesses around

i have a feeling some pencil pusher made a big mistake and that mr. anders and partner will soon be flying first class on their award ticket to wherever they like

there is a lot of fine print on award tix and vouchers but most allow you to share your award with anyone, not just a spouse or immediate family member, as long as no money changes hands, domestic partners often fly on northwest award tix -- if mr. anders had tried to sell the ticket on ebay, yes, he would be denied and the tix confiscated but there should never have been an issue abt giving the ticket to a domestic partner, never

i believe this will get fixed and i hope yahoo gives the fix the same attention given to the original error

[Puglover]

24. Of course Yahoo won't fix it Pitohui

as NONE of the blowhard posters above would have the class to rethink their uneducated hyperbolic posts. Jesus, it makes DU look so fuckin nutty when people post this crap without any facts.

:eyes:

[Rowdyboy]

25. Thanks for an insiders viewpoint....

I had read the story earlier and took it at face value (something I am increasingly learning NOT to do).

It sounded ridiculous, but one finds so many corporate policies absurd that it seemed likely this was just another example of massive corporate insensitivity. Glad it isn't so.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

23. This is REALLY stupid

I'm straight but single, with no current S.O.

Does this mean to say that if I won an award, I wouldn't be able to take a female friend on the trip?