A 21-year-old Black woman, Lakeyjanay Bailey, is considering filing a lawsuit against Frontier Airlines after she was accused of trafficking her own sister on July 20, 2021, according to Denver7.
Bailey’s 4-year-old adoptive sister, Olivia, is White and her skin complexion was apparently enough for a Frontier Airlines employee to alert authorities that there was something very wrong about the two traveling with each other.
Upon landing in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport from Denver, Bailey and her sister were met by authorities as they departed the plane.
“There were two police officers, and they came up to me and said, ‘Is it okay if we talk to you?'” Bailey told Denver7.
One officer asked Olivia, “if she knows me and what am I to her, and he asked what my mom was to her.” More questions would follow.
Bailey says the officers spoke with her mother and a social worker before escorting them to baggage claim.
“The whole time they were talking with us, people kept staring at us, whispering and stuff,” Bailey said.
Upon confirming Bailey and Olivia were in fact sisters by their greeting party, the officers backed off.
“If the roles were changed and it was a White person walking off the plane with a Black person, like a Black child, I feel like things would be different,” Bailey said.
The following is a statement provided to Frontier Airlines to Denver7:
“A concern was raised during the flight by another passenger who was sitting near the woman and child and suspected human trafficking. That passenger approached the flight crew with those concerns and subsequently completed a written report during the flight to document her observations. The captain was notified and felt an obligation to report the matter. Air travel is one of the most common means for human trafficking. Race played no part in the actions of the flight crew who were following established protocols.”
