American Airlines

The Headquarters is really nice!

I was discriminated against because my background, culture, beliefs, and ethnicity were not welcomed at American Airlines. There was a lack of equal opportunity, and ethnical bias was evident. AA is not a diverse place. It seems like only certain ethnicities can thrive there.

My manager said that I had to go to the AA Dallas headquarters for a week due to a team activity. However, my AA manager did not allow me to expense the business trip. ⚠️ I had to pay for the entire business trip with my own salary ⚠️. No free flights. I paid for hotel, food, gas, etc.

I went anyway, as it was non-optional. I spent my entire week's salary to pay for that business trip.

Entry-level and contractors are micromanaged and spied on through their work computers. When my work computer started having VPN and network issues, I reached out to IT. They told me that they flagged my computer’s IP for “inappropriate use of the internet,” although I solely used the computer for work. There was no explanation on why my computer had an "internet disciplinary behavior infraction". I found out that AA IT had access to my bookmarks and personal private information through my work computer.

One of the IT employees oddly told me through the phone to access a gaming site (Battle.net), which was deep into my bookmarks' folders, in order to get authenticated and temporarily unblock my IP. I had to access that site every time. I felt like they were laughing in my face.

IT said that they couldn’t help me because I was a contractor and not a full-time employee. They told me that I needed to constantly switch proxies. Everything went well the first 8 weeks. I successfully completed multiple projects. However, mysteriously after 8 weeks, my VPN stopped working. The computer’s IP address and proxy were blocked.

It took me hours to connect every single day, and then it was randomly unblocked. I couldn’t work for the first few hours of the day, as everything on my work computer was inaccessible/unauthorized, except for calls with my team. Most of the relevant internet sites were restricted/blocked.

I have evidence to believe that my manager removed my access to the VPN. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out there was corruption and collusion going on internally at AA in order to kick out people that “didn’t belong” due to their ethnicity and views/perspectives.

My computer wasn’t able to connect to the AA Dallas headquarters network. I asked my manager if she could give me another computer; she refused. I felt forced to work on my personal computer, and I was very uncomfortable. I felt like I had no privacy. Working on my personal computer didn't solve the issue but allowed me to connect to the VPN more often. I couldn't get much work done.

Everyone on my team said that they didn't know what the problem was. My manager told me to not worry about it and give it some time. Weeks later, I got fired for 'poor performance' without any notice.

When I first came to AA Dallas headquarters, the front desk woman asked me for my badge; I didn't have one. She then asked me for my ID and wallet. I was relatively new, so I was scared to refuse. She emptied my wallet on the table and said, “None of these IDs work.” My manager came 2 hours later to let me in.

Once I got in, my manager did not even introduce me nor show me around. She left me on the first floor with IT (which is not my field). I ended up touring myself around, and on the last floor, I was interrogated by a white-haired man about many things, such as why I was walking around on my own, my employee ID, and where my manager was. I told him that I was getting to know the workspace, as it was my first day at the AA office. It made me feel like a criminal.

The discrimination I faced at AA didn't stop me from success. Months after being fired, I got a job at a FAANG as a software engineer. None of the AA problems happened there. My current job has been amazing for the past year, full of inclusion, diversity, non-bias, and leadership.

Everyone should be treated equally and with respect, and have access to equal opportunities. All I want is for AA to stop discriminating its 'different' employees.