United Airlines didn’t let pilot attend Buddhist support group for alcoholism, suit says

United Airlines will pay $305,000 to a Buddhist pilot to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency said in a Tuesday, Nov. 8 release.

The pilot’s medical certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, which is required to fly, was revoked after he was diagnosed with alcohol dependency, according to the agency.

In order to reobtain medical certificates from the FAA, pilots with substance abuse problems are required to regularly attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a “spiritual” organization dedicated to achieving sobriety, according to the agency.

The pilot opposed AA’s religious content and instead sought to attend a “Buddhism-based peer support group,” according to the agency.

The group, called Refuge Recovery, “has adapted the core teachings of the Buddha as a treatment of addiction,” according to its website.

But United would not accept his religious objection, and he was subsequently prohibited from flying.

A spokesperson for United Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

EEOC said the company’s decision violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which proscribes discrimination based on religion.

In addition to the settlement money, a combination of back pay and damages, the pilot will be a allowed to enroll in a separate peer recovery program, according to the agency.

“We are pleased that United will now accommodate its pilots who have religion-based objections to mandatory AA attendance,” stated acting EEOC New York District Director Timothy Riera in the news release.

EEOC filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in July 2020, according to Reuters.

Cases of pilots flying while intoxicated are “extremely rare,” according to CBS News.

The FAA prohibits pilots from drinking any alcohol within eight hours of flying, according to the agency.