Reuters reports that a German court has rejected a man’s claim for compensation after he was ordered off a plane because others were offended by his smell. The man, a corporate lawyer, was returning with his wife from Hawaii via Los Angeles on a British Airways flight operated by American Airlines last year and missed their connection to Germany.
The man calculated, including the cost of an extra night in Los Angeles, the earnings he’d forfeited, and his wife’s lost vacation time, he calculated the loss at EUR2200, which is about $2819. We are impressed that an evening in Los Angeles could result in such a loss for an individual.
The plaintiff said he couldn’t help sweating after carrying three suitcases in the heat and sitting in the airport for two hours with no air conditioning. The court, as well as the appeals court, determined that American Airlines’ contract of carriage allows them to refuse passengers transport if they have an offensive odor not caused by a disability or illness. British Airways allows they may refuse transport if carrying might affect the comfort of any person in the aircraft.
Refusing transport to anyone is a complicated issue, especially for one of body odor. Generally, procedure on most carriers allows the flight crew to offer the opportunity for a passenger to clean themselves up. However, with a lack of time, they made the decision to have the plane depart and reschedule this passenger on the next aircraft.
Either way, this is why we keep our deodorant in the outer pocket of our carry-on bag. As the Boy Scouts say…be prepared.