Man "forced off a plane due to BO"

AMERICAN Airlines has denied a Parisian man’s allegations that he was forced off one of its flights because he smelled.

The 27-year-old claimed that he was asked to leave a Dallas-bound flight from Charles-de-Gaulle airport before take-off after several passengers complained about his body odour, AFP has reported.

A spokesman for the airline insisted instead that a “visa issue” was only discovered once the passenger had boarded the plane, and declined to comment further on the passenger’s claims.

The victim has lodged a complaint with American Airlines and an investigation has been launched.

According to AFP, the incident was filmed. It reports that a member of cabin crew said: “The crew and the passengers have complained about your smell.

“You’re with an American company, this is American territory, the captain has the right to refuse you. You will not be flying today.”

Police were called and eventually persuaded the man to leave the plane voluntarily and file a complaint.

The Frenchman, of Algerian origin, said that he had sprayed cologne on himself at duty free before boarding the flight, and revealed that lengthy security checks had meant he missed an earlier flight but had been able to book a seat on the flight to Dallas.

A source close to the case told AFP that the passenger “was not particularly scruffy or intoxicated, as can sometimes be the case.”

Photo: Aero Icarus