Black woman says she faced racism at UAE airport: attendant asked, 'you're in priority?'

The woman detailed an encounter with airport staff that she described as an example of racial bias. (Representational)

A recent incident at Abu Dhabi International Airport has brought the issue of casual racism to the forefront, igniting a conversation on social media about racial profiling and discrimination in travel. Efe Isaac, a Black woman, shared her experience on Threads, detailing an encounter with airport staff that she described as an example of racial bias.

Isaac recounted the moment when she stood in the priority boarding lane, ready to board her flight, when an attendant approached her and directed her to the general boarding area. When she refused to move, the attendant questioned if she was in the correct lane.

"I am standing on the priority lane about to board my flight at Abu Dhabi's airport. And the attendant goes 'ma'am this way,' pointing to stay on general boarding. I refused to move. Then he goes 'you're in priority?' I said 'Yup!' then he goes 'okay, you can stay here.' I said 'I am already here.' Then he goes to attend to the next person," Isaac wrote.

"The automatic assumption that I belong to general boarding or economy every time I fly first or business is ridiculous."

In a follow-up post, Isaac shared another instance of perceived discrimination involving a fellow Black traveller. She described how an attendant ignored a Black man with dreadlocks who was also in the priority lane.

"As we walked to the point where you scan your boarding pass, there was another Black guy with dreads in front of me. The attendant lady did not even look at him; she went about her business as we both stood there. I think me and the guy had some type of telepathy communication in that moment. We just walked right past the scanning to the plane. We knew!" Isaac added.

The posts have garnered significant attention, with many people of colour sharing their own similar experiences. One user commented, "Any person of colour knows very well what you have been through. We continue to be judged by the colour of our skin."

Another shared their observations of racial profiling in airports worldwide: "Every time I see a Black person in an airport being frisked or held up at immigration, I say a silent prayer for them. It happens everywhere – Dubai, China, the Philippines, most EU countries. They're always profiled. It's so unfair."

A woman related her own frustrations: "I feel you! As a Muslim woman (with a child), I experience the same thing in Europe every single time I fly business class. It's so annoying!"

Another commenter shared a similar encounter: "I was standing in line for first class going to Tel Aviv. A woman behind me says, 'Excuse me, this is the line for first-class passengers.' I said, 'Yeah, I know.' She said to me, 'Oh, you're first class?' – I turned to her and said, 'Mind your business.' She shut up after that! Lmao."

The post has nearly 6,000 likes since being uploaded.