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A gay bar owner has claimed he and his partner were ordered to move from their seats on a flight so a straight couple could sit together.

David Cooley, owner of iconic Los Angeles gay bar, The Abbey, said he has “never been so discriminated against” while on board an Alaska Airlines flight.

The businessman claimed that he and his partner were sat together in premium seats when a flight attendant asked if his partner could move so “a couple could sit together”.

Mr Cooley explained that they too were sitting together as a couple, but they were told to separate nonetheless.

Mr Cooley said: “I have never been so discriminated against while travelling before. I was removed from an Alaska Airlines flight # 1407 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to LAX to give preferential treatment to a straight couple.

“After my travelling companion and I had been seated in our assigned seats for a while, we were approached by the flight attendant and my companion was asked to move from his premium seat to coach, so a couple could sit together.

“I explained that we were a couple and wanted to sit together. He was given a choice to either give up the premium seat and move to coach or get off the plane.”

Mr Cooley added that the couple could not “bear the feeling of humiliation” for the entire flight, so exited the plane.

He has called on fellow LGBT people to boycott the airline, adding: “I cannot believe that an airline in this day and age would give a straight couple preferential treatment over a gay couple and go so far as to ask us to leave.”

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told NBC News the incident is currently being investigated, saying the situation arose after “a couple was mistakenly assigned the same seats as another couple in Premium Class.”

The spokesperson said: ““We are deeply sorry for the situation, and are investigating the details while communicating directly with the guests involved to try and make this right.

“Alaska Airlines has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and our employees value inclusion for our guests and each other.”