Equal rights nonprofit sues Southwest over free ticket program for Hispanic college students

An equal rights nonprofit sued Southwest airlines on Monday over a decades-long program that awarded free flights to Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students, claiming it violated federal law because it discriminated against non-Hispanics.

The lawsuit focuses on the airlines' ¡Lánzate! Travel Award Program, which was launched in 2004, and is operated via a partnership with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, per Reuters. In order to qualify, a student has to be Hispanic and live at least 200 miles from their home. If approved, they get four round-trip tickets for the school year.

The lawsuit claims the airline can be sued under the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because it received federal funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, and can also be sued under Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which prohibits racial bias in contracting.

The Southwest lawsuit was brought by Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights, and filed in a Texas court. It comes after several Asian and white students that work for the nonprofit were barred from applying for the program. 

“Southwest Airlines should immediately open this program to all students, regardless of their skin color or ethnic heritage,” Blum told Reuters in a statement.

The lawsuit is Blum's latest court filing, after a group he created orchestrated the court case that led the Supreme Court to ban the use of affirmative action in college admissions. He has also filed other court challenges on the use of diversity programs in the corporate world.