Delta Air Lines Under Fire After Removing Passenger Wearing Pro-Veteran Health T-Shirt
Delta Air Lines has come under fire for removing a passenger from a flight after the passenger in question wore a shirt promoting veteran mental health.
According to SFGATE, a flight attendant objected to a Bay Area passenger's T-shirt, forcing her to disembark from a Delta Air Lines trip and change.
Marine Corps veteran Catherine Banks was asked to disembark from her airplane as it was leaving San Francisco International Airport on Oct. 16. The flight attendant informed Banks that she needed to change after she got off the aircraft because her shirt was "threatening," Banks told NBC Bay Area (KNTV). It included a message regarding the prevalence of veteran suicide in the United States.
The shirt read: “Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide.”
“I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m a Marine Corps vet. I’m going to see my Marine sister. I’ve been in the Marine Corps for 22 years and worked for the Air Force for 15 years. I’m going to visit her,’” Banks said. “He said, ‘I don’t care about your service, and I don’t care about her service. The only way you’re going to get back on the plane is if you take it off right now.’”
Banks added that she was compelled to sit in the back of the aircraft rather than in the seat she had paid for, which offered more legroom, when she returned.
“Delta is seeking to make contact with the customer directly to hear more so we can begin to look into what occurred,” a representative for the carrier told SFGATE in an email.
Delta Air Lines Mired in Controversy
This isn't the only recent controversy that the international carrier has faced. Last month, the Department of Transportation (DOT) claimed that airlines are undervaluing the rewards that consumers have accrued through their loyalty programs, and Delta Air Lines is just one of many carriers that are being investigated by the federal government for this reason.
According to Bloomberg, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and American Airlines' rewards systems are all being criticized as well. Per a statement, the DOT has asked for reports and detailed information on the airlines’ programs to better understand how consumers "are impacted by the devaluation of earned rewards, hidden or dynamic pricing, extra fees, and reduced competition and choice."