In This Story
Delta Air Lines has changed its policy to only allow flight attendants to wear American flag pins, after two flight attendants were criticized online for wearing Palestinian flag pins while working.
The Atlanta-based airline announced the changes over the weekend and said they would go into effect Monday, The New York Times reports.
The new policy comes after photos of two flight attendants wearing Palestinian flag pins went viral on X last week. One online comment characterized the pins as “Hamas badges,” referring to the U.S.-designated terrorist group that governs the Gaza Strip. The social media chatter was escalated by the airline itself, which responded on its official social media account saying, “I hear you as I’d be terrified as well, personally.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Delta’s response was “just the latest example of anti-Palestinian racism.”
Delta deleted its response following backlash and the airline has since apologized, saying the tweet “was not in line with our values.”
“We strive for an environment of inclusivity & respect for all, in our communities & our planes. The employee responsible no longer supports Delta’s social channels. We apologize for this hurtful post,” the airline said on X.
Before the change on Monday, airline employees were allowed to wear non-U.S. flag pins.
“The photographed flight attendants were compliant with Delta uniform guidelines and we’ve been in touch with them to offer support,” a Delta spokeswoman told The Times.
The incident is just the latest in which the Israel-Hamas war has affected U.S. businesses. Earlier this year, Google fired more than 50 workers who protested the company’s work with the Israeli military.
Read more: Delta Air Lines says the Olympics will cost it $100 million because no one wants to visit Paris now