Delta Air Lines dismissed 15 employees from Miami International Airport (MIA) following an internal investigation into possible irregularities in the management of its flights to Cuba, a case that has now also led to a lawsuit for alleged workplace discrimination.
The investigation focused on flights between Miami and Havana and examined, among other aspects, the assignment of seats at boarding gates, the processing of fees for excess baggage, and the sale of tickets through travel agencies, as reported this Wednesday by the specialized site Paddle Your Own Kanoo.
One of the employees who was laid off is Annette Feliciano, a Puerto Rican who had worked for Delta for 27 years and served as one of the Red Coats, staff responsible for supervising boarding and managing flight departures.
Feliciano usually worked on Delta's operations from Miami, including connections to Havana. According to his account, in May 2025, he was called to a meeting and accused of having some sort of irregular collaboration with travel agencies that were selling tickets to Cuba.
The former employee claims that an audit found no irregularities in her actions, but the scrutiny over her and other Latino workers connected to the Cuban flights continued.
Among other issues, his superiors asked him about the cash processing of excess baggage payments, a practice that Feliciano explained as common among some passengers traveling to Cuba.
She was also questioned about whether she had accepted coffee or pastries offered by travelers. Feliciano stated that he knew it was forbidden to receive monetary compensation from passengers, but he maintained that he was unaware of any rule preventing the acceptance of food or drinks.
Subsequently, the worker was suspended without pay, had to surrender her identification, and months later learned that she had been terminated. According to her lawsuit, 14 other employees were also laid off. Of the 15 workers who were dismissed, 13 were Latino.
Feliciano is now accusing Delta of racial and age discrimination, retaliation, and creating a hostile work environment. The lawsuit claims that during their employment, they were subjected to discriminatory remarks, disproportionate scrutiny, unequal treatment, and unfounded accusations.
The process, identified as Feliciano v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., was filed on September 30 in the Federal Court for the Southern District of Florida after being transferred from a state court in Miami-Dade. The case is assigned to federal judge Darrin P. Gayles.
So far, Delta has not publicly explained the specific reasons for dismissing Feliciano and the other employees, while the former employee claims that any justification provided by the company would be a pretext to cover up illegal discrimination.
The case arises at a time when Delta operates a daily flight between Miami and Havana. The airline had operated two daily connections on that route in 2025, but later reduced its frequencies.
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