Michigan family kicked off American flight for body odor

(FOX 2) - A Southfield man is furious with American Airlines after being kicked off a flight with his family for body odor.

Yehuda Adler is back from Miami with his wife and baby girl after a trip that took a bizarre turn when they boarded their plane on Wednesday.

"I was like I've never seen this in my life," he said. "Less than two minutes after we sit down somebody comes and goes - 'There's an emergency you guys have to come off the plane.'"

They followed instructions, got off the plane and then watched as the plane pulled away.

"'They said there were people on the plane complaining that you have b.o. Our crew members smelled it and our pilot smelled it and the pilot says we can't let you fly in this plane because the b.o.'s too bad.'" 

Adler says he was shocked by the allegation - and concerned about his eight other children back home in metro Detroit. His flight home from Miami had already been delayed one day because Detroit's airport was closed Tuesday night.

Adler's phone video shows a confrontation with an airline official.

The plane left with their luggage, their daughter's car seat and stroller.

Adler has plenty of questions for American Airlines recorded on his phone. He told an American Airlines employee he believes they were removed from the plane because they're Jewish.

"You have to calm down," the official said.

"I have to calm down? I have eight children at home and there's a religious reason for some reason that they're kicking me off the plane," Adler said. "We don't have odor - nobody here has odor - oh stop."

"You told me for religious reasons you don't shower - is that what you said," the official says.

"I shower every day," Adler said.

"So what did you say," the man asked on video.

"I said it's because of my religion you kicked me off the plane - it's anti-Semitism that you kicked me off the plane," said Adler.

American Airlines said in a statement - that there were multiple complaints about Mr. Adler's body odor and the airport team was concerned about the comfort of other passengers. They were given hotel accommodations and re-booked.

Adler says they did get their luggage back when they returned to Detroit on Thursday. But he feels employees of American Airlines were very disrespectful.

"They're going around (holding their nose), oh, it smells," he said. "And those were the managers - they were embarrassing us in front of everybody. You want people to fly your airline - treat people with respect."

The airline is not addressing any allegations with religious discrimination, saying the issue was with body odor and the comfort of other passengers - and the Adler family is not buying it.