A Jewish Flight Attendant Is Suing Delta Air Lines. Here’s Why

A Jewish flight attendant has announced that he is suing Delta Air Lines, claiming he was the victim of “religious discrimination.” The flight attendant sued the airline giant in a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York. Let’s take a look at the details of this latest lawsuit.

Delta Air Lines Flight Attendant Suing Over Ham Sandwich

According to a federal lawsuit, a Jewish flight attendant is suing Delta Air Lines, alleging religious discrimination after his employer gave him a ham sandwich and prevented him from taking the day off on Yom Kippur, per a New York Post report.

The federal court complaint was filed by Sasi Sheva, 44, an Israeli employee from Encino, California, who Delta has employed for 2.5 years with excellent standing.

The lawsuit claims that the airline “has engaged in a pattern of intentionally discriminating and retaliating against ethnically Jewish, Hebrew and/or Israeli employees based upon their race and ancestry.”

Sheva and the airline have been at odds since July 12, 2022. He claimed that on the day of an intended assignment, Delta changed the schedule of its flights while he was in the middle of a business trip, according to court documents. According to the filing, Delta Air Lines drove Sheva to the runway for his next flight in a van to minimize any delays.

Sheva, according to the court documents, had not had time to eat, and the airline had disregarded his “numerous requests for a ‘safety break’ to obtain a meal.”

Sheva observes kosher and is a vegetarian. According to the suit, he asked Delta personnel to “stop for a few minutes in the concourse so that he could purchase a vegetarian snack.”

The lawsuit claims Sheva was given a ham sandwich despite his employment profile “clearly stating he is Hebrew-speaking, Jewish and vegetarian.”

Sheva did not take kindly to that. He also claims in the filing that his desire to take off on Yom Kippur, the Jewish calendar’s holiest day, in October 2022 was “refused in bad faith and with no justification.”

A representative for Delta Air Lines stated, “Delta has zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind as part of our deeply-held values as a global airline connecting the world.”

Latest Issues for Delta

News of this lawsuit comes just days after Delta Air Lines announced that it was pausing all flights between New York’s JFK International Airport and Tel Aviv in the Middle East, claiming that it was doing so due to the ongoing Middle East crisis.

The airline, which first announced the news in July, amended its statement on Thursday, Sept. 19, revealing that travel between JFK and the Middle Eastern city will not resume until after Dec. 31. Customers who may be impacted are advised to check the status on Delta Air Lines’ exclusive app for updates, as the notice may undergo revisions.

“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports and will communicate any updates as needed,” the company said in the press release announcing the pause.

Additionally, Delta Air Lines is currently under federal investigation for its loyalty program. According to Bloomberg, there are similar investigations directed toward the rewards systems offered by American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has sought reports and extensive information on the airlines’ programs to understand how customers “are impacted by the devaluation of earned rewards, hidden or dynamic pricing, extra fees, and reduced competition and choice” the statement from the federal agency reads.

“Many Americans view their rewards points balances as part of their savings,” Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the statement. “But unlike a traditional savings account, these rewards are controlled by a company that can unilaterally change their value.”