NEW DELHI: Two flight attendants of Atlanta based Delta airlines were photographed wearing Palestinian flag pins. This sparked an outrage over the July 10 social media post on X which described the Palestinian pins as “Hamas badges,” . After this the airlines banned its employees from wearing pins representing any country or nationality besides the US. The rule will take effect Monday.
Delta Airlines in a statement said that, “We are proud of our diverse base of employees and customers and the foundation of our brand, which is to connect the world and provide a premium experience,” and “We are taking this step to help ensure a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment for all.”
Both attendants pictured wearing the pins were in compliance with Delta’s previous policy giving employees more flexibility with uniform accessories.
Before Delta announced its new policy, one of its employees escalated the situation by posting a reply on X asserting the attendants wearing the Palestinian pins were violating company rules and sympathising with passengers who might be “terrified” by it. That post has since been deleted but was captured in a screenshot shared by the American Muslim rights group CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Delta apologized in a post and said the employee responsible for the reply had been removed from handling its social media communications.
“What happened with Delta is just the latest example of anti-Palestinian racism,” Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy executive director of CAIR, told The Washington Post. He said the group welcomed Delta’s apology. “And my hope is that this incident will begin to slowly, slowly move the needle in a different direction.”