{"id":24079,"date":"2025-10-28T19:09:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T19:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/24079\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T19:09:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T19:09:18","slug":"hispanic-united-pilot-accuses-airline-of-race-discrimination-after-being-terminated-for-dui-arrest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/24079\/","title":{"rendered":"Hispanic United Pilot Accuses Airline Of Race Discrimination After Being Terminated For DUI Arrest"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former United Airlines pilot who joined the Chicago-based carrier in 2023 after spending 13 years serving the United States as a decorated C-130 combat pilot in the Air Force is now suing the airline for race discrimination and retaliation after he was terminated for refusing to enter a substance abuse treatment program.<\/p>\n

The pilot started flying with United Airlines as a First Officer in March 2023, but just a few months later, he was arrested on suspicion of DUI following a traffic stop and a failed field sobriety test in Montgomery County, Texas.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement never took a blood draw, which would have confirmed whether the pilot was actually over the alcohol limit, and the charges were later dismissed. Nonetheless, the pilot followed United and FAA protocols by immediately reporting his arrest.<\/p>\n

Within days of reporting his arrest, the pilot claims United started to pressure him to enter a substance abuse program designed for pilots who have been diagnosed with alcoholism.<\/p>\n

According to a new lawsuit filed in a Southern Texas district court, United acted as if the pilot was an alcoholic \u2013 a claim that the pilot denies and even got an independent psychiatric report to show that what happened in July 2023 was a \u201cone-off, aberrant event.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pilot pushed back on United\u2019s insistence that he should enter the so-called HIMS program, which requires pilots to attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, arguing that this was unnecessary.<\/p>\n

When the pilot refused to enter the HIMS program, United terminated his employment, although the carrier used the temporary loss of his FAA medical flying license as the pretext for his dismissal.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit makes the point that while pilots with actual substance abuse problems have been allowed to keep their jobs at United, he was sacked for a single mistake that didn\u2019t even lead to criminal charges being pursued.<\/p>\n

The pilot alleges that another crew member arrested for DUI shortly after his own arrest was allowed to keep his job because he enrolled in the HIMS program.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnited\u2019s perception of Mr. Castillo as an alcoholic was not a neutral medical judgment but reflected racialized stereotypes about Hispanic men and alcohol use,\u201d the complaint reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese intertwined biases\u2014viewing a Hispanic pilot\u2019s single arrest as evidence of addiction while extending leniency to White pilots for comparable conduct\u2014amplified the discriminatory motive underlying United\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawsuit further alleges that United then reported to the Federal Aviation Administration that he had been terminated due to \u201cpilot performance issues\u201d \u2013 a report that he says is a \u201cstigmatizing designation\u201d that was only withdrawn when he brought in a specalist attorney to fight his case.<\/p>\n

The pilot is fighting for his job back, as well as back pay for the time he has spent unemployed at United. <\/p>\n

In 2022, United agreed to a $305,000\u00a0settlement<\/a> in another lawsuit centered on the HIMS program. In that case, an alcoholic Buddhist pilot said attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings was not appropriate as the program is rooted in the Christian faith.<\/p>\n

The famed AA 12-step program includes specific references to a Christian God and acknowledgment that a \u201cgreater Power exists\u201d. As a Buddhist, the pilot didn\u2019t share these beliefs and felt uncomfortable beginning every session, held in a church, with a Christian prayer.<\/p>\n

The pilot requested to swap the AA meetings with regular attendance at a Buddhism-based peer support group, but United Airlines refused.<\/p>\n

The latest lawsuit is filed under case number 4:25-cv-04881<\/a> in the district court for the Southern District of Texas.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t\tSubscribe to our newsletter\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\tNo spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don’t want to miss\t<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tMateusz Maszczynski<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying ever since… most recently for a well known European airline. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt’s industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.<\/p>\n