US airline passenger told to switch seats as Pakistani men 'did not want to sit next to woman'

The men were described as Pakistani monks by the female passenger, and were reportedly wearing long orange shirts

A United Airlines passenger was moved to make way for two 'Pakistani monks' who did not want to sit next to a woman.



Mary Campos was on a Houston bound flight leaving from California when a member of the staff reportedly approached her and requested to change her seat. He explained that owing to the Pakistani passengers' "cultural beliefs" they could not sit next to or talk to a woman.

The men were described as "Pakistani monks" by Campos and were reportedly wearing long orange shirts. No other information was available on the men's ethnicity or religion. "They could also not be served by female staff."



Campos lamented the "discrimination" against her but complied nonetheless. In a letter to United Airlines, she wrote: "What if I were handicapped or transgender? What if your entire crew were female? Any belief that prevents individuals from interacting with females should not travel on commercial aircraft."

The airline responded to say they would look into the matter. "We regret that Campos was unhappy with the handling of the seat assignments on her flight," read a response to Campos. "United holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and has zero tolerance for discrimination."



Campos said she did not want to sue the airline, but insisted that they apologise to every woman on the plane, including staff. "I thought I lived in a culture where females were equal to men," she said. She also wanted the company to change their policy to protect women’s rights.

This article originally appeared on The Independent