Delta Airlines sparks outrage with its response to flight attendants wearing Palestinian flag pins, leading to policy changes and accusations of racism and Islamophobia.
Bollywood Fever: Delta Airlines has come under fire for its response to a passenger’s complaint about staff wearing Palestinian flag lapel badges. The airline’s reaction has sparked criticism from both supporters and opponents of Israel.
The controversy began on Tuesday when a passenger tweeted photos of two flight attendants wearing the pins, describing them as “Hamas badges” and expressing fear. Delta’s official X account sympathized with the passenger, stating, “I hear you as I’d be terrified as well, personally,” and emphasizing their commitment to policy adherence.

The tweet led to widespread backlash for equating the Palestinian flag with the Hamas organization, resulting in calls to boycott Delta. Critics, including Edward Ahmed Mitchell from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned the response as “anti-Palestinian racism” and demanded an apology.
On Wednesday, Delta deleted the tweet, demoted the person responsible, and announced support for the two staff members involved, stating the message did not align with their values. By Thursday, Delta had implemented a new policy banning all flags except the American flag on staff uniforms starting July 15.

In response to the backlash, Delta stated, “The claims made in the complaint are simply not true. As this is in active litigation, we cannot say more at this time but continue to vigorously defend Mia and the entire filmmaking team against these extremely baseless allegations.”
This incident follows similar controversies in the airline industry, including a May incident where JetBlue banned political pins after a Jewish passenger’s complaint led to an altercation and a canceled return flight.
Rumors circulated on Thursday that Delta had fired the staff members wearing Palestinian badges, but the airline denied these claims, emphasizing their support for the employees and announcing the new pin policy to ensure a “safe, comfortable and welcoming environment for all.”
One of the attendants, posting under the handle AJhooray on Instagram, expressed gratitude for the support received during the “overwhelming few days,” adding, “See you in the skies!”
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