ICE deportation flights ignored FAA safety regulations, whistleblower claims in lawsuit

ICE deportation flights ignored FAA safety regulations, whistleblower claims in lawsuit Exclusive: Former Avelo Airlnes flight attendant Arianne Campbell ‘should not have to choose’ between protecting her career ‘and raising concerns about safety,’ her attorney told The Independent - Bookmark A former Avelo Airlines flight attendant assigned to work ICE deportation flights under a contract the ultra-low-budget carrier signed last year with the U.S. government claims she was demoted, then fired, after reporting “serious… violations affecting crew and passenger safety,” according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent. In her complaint, whistleblower Arianne Campbell, 49, says she raised “multiple” concerns to higher-ups about crews ignoring Federal Aviation Administration regulations, such as failing to conduct required cabin checks during takeoff and landing, exposure to communicable diseases and “unclear safety procedures for emergency evacuations.” Campbell also allegedly witnessed a frightening “display of physical violence” from at least one Avelo pilot, who, in an apparent fit of frustration, “became physically aggressive, punching the flight attendant jumpseat,” the complaint contends. But when Campbell told her managers she did not feel comfortable working in such conditions, they took no action, according to the complaint. Instead, it alleges, the Los Angeles resident was reprimanded for creating “an uncomfortable and divisive onboard environment,” and told that she had “overstepped assigned responsibilities” in pointing out operational risks. Avelo soon stripped Campbell of her lead flight attendant title, and bumped her back down to a junior position with a cut in pay, the complaint continues. A little more than two months later, according to the complaint, Campbell – who had also been active in union organizing – was terminated “under the pretext of ‘Reduction in Force.’” Attorney Samer Habbas, who is representing Campbell, told The Independent, "An employee who raises safety, compliance, and workplace concerns should not face discipline or termination for doing so. Ms. Campbell alleges that after she spoke up about procedures on these special charter flights and discussed union representation with coworkers, she was disciplined, blocked from transferring, and ultimately terminated. These are serious allegations, and we look forward to holding Avelo accountable.” Employees, Habbas said, “should not have to choose between protecting their careers and raising concerns about safety, compliance, or their workplace rights.” ICE is not named as a defendant in the suit; an ICE spokesperson on Tuesday referred all inquiries to Avelo. “Avelo is aware of the lawsuit and is responding appropriately through the judicial process,” company spokeswoman Courtney Goff told The Independent. Campbell began working for Avelo as a flight attendant in November 2023, and was a “dedicated and conscientious employee who consistently met and exceeded expectations,” states her complaint, which was initially filed April 11 in Los Angeles County Superior Court before being removed to Los Angeles federal court on June 12. Along the way, the complaint says Campbell was elevated to senior status and given numerous pay raises. “Beginning in August 2025, [Campbell] was temporarily assigned to… Avelo's Mesa, Arizona, base to work on special charter flights,” the complaint states. “During this assignment, [Campbell] observed serious safety violations affecting crew and passenger safety.” Other flight attendants on other ICE charters have spoken out about the use of shackles and full-body restraints for deportees on long flights, raising questions about evacuating safely in the event of an emergency, as well as conditions many experts deem inhumane. “ICE Deportation Flights Are Getting Longer and Crueler,” one recent headline read. Avelo, which serviced its ICE contract using three Boeing 737-800s based at Mesa Gateway Airport, has never operated any commercial flights from there. Amid ferocious public backlash, on January 27 – some nine months after inking an agreement with the Trump administration to fly deportees both domestically and internationally for ICE – Avelo shuttered its Mesa operation. “The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs,” Avelo told the Arizona Mirror at the time. Avelo operated nearly one in five ICE flights between May 2025 and December 2025, for a total of 1,945 in all, according to a report released January 9 by Human Rights First. More than 80 percent were domestic transfer flights, between lockups in several U.S. locales, with the remainder of the flights being used for removals to Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador. On August 8 of last year, just days after Campbell arrived at Mesa, her complaint says she sent a detailed email to her supervisor that elucidated “multiple safety concerns” she had already spotted. The complaint lists them as: “failure to conduct required cabin compliance checks during takeoff and landing in violation of Federal Aviation Regulations; improper storage of supplies creating overhead bin hazards; potential health risks to crew members from exposure to communicable diseases including tuberculosis; and unclear safety procedures for emergency evacuations.” Less than 10 days later, Campbell had a run-in with the captain of her flight, the complaint goes on. “On or around August 17, 2025, [Campbell] conducted a pre-flight safety briefing with flight attendants and federal personnel regarding Federal Aviation Regulation compliance requirements during critical phases of flight,” the complaint states. “When [Campbell] raised these compliance issues with the Captain, he responded hostilely, stating, ‘These people are paying us for our planes and we don't have to tell them anything.’” Later that day, the same captain slammed his fist into the flight attendant jumpseat “in front of multiple witnesses,” the complaint alleges. It says Campbell “immediately reported this incident of workplace violence to management via detailed email,” and subsequently “notified management that she did not feel comfortable working with the Captain based on ‘his display of physical violence’ and requested appropriate action.” Instead, Campbell was “removed… from her lead flight attendant position mid-assignment without explanation or opportunity to respond,” and demoted, according to the complaint. She was then taken off of two scheduled assignments, and in mid-September, Campbell was issued a “Final Performance Warning,” which the complaint describes as “the first and only disciplinary action in [her] employment history, in direct violation of… Avelo's progressive discipline policy.” The warning took aim at Campbell for, among other things, exceeding her job description by reporting safety concerns, being “divisive,” and for having “solicited union support and discussed unionization during active flight operations,” the complaint states, which explains that Campbell did in fact “share information [with coworkers] about their rights during active contract negotiations.” On November 15, 2025, Campbell was let go as part of a purported company-wide layoff, according to the complaint. Avelo subjected Campbell to retaliation as a result of her “protected whistleblowing activity,” the complaint states. It says she has suffered economic damages, including lost income and employment benefits, and damage to her career and professional reputation, as well as non-economic damages, including severe psychological and emotional distress, humiliation, demoralization, loss of professional confidence, and mental and physical pain and anguish. Campbell is now seeking compensatory damages, special damages, general damages, punitive damages and exemplary damages to be determined by a jury, plus attorneys’ fees and court costs.