Delta chartered three airplanes on a complimentary basis to transport students to Washington, DC for the “March for Our Lives” protest last Saturday.
Oh great, he’s wading into politics again…
I take Sundays off on the blog, not just in writing, but in reading. Consequently, I missed this news that was initially reported by the Associated Press and picked up by View from the Wing and One Mile at a Time.
Delta called its donation “part of our commitment to supporting the communities we serve.”
When Delta pulled back its National Rifle Association discounts, it claimed to do so on the basis of neutrality:
Delta’s decision reflects the airline’s neutral status in the current national debate over gun control amid recent school shootings. Out of respect for our customers and employees on both sides, Delta has taken this action to refrain from entering this debate and focus on its business. Delta continues to support the 2nd Amendment.
This is not the first time Delta has withdrawn support over a politically and emotionally charged issue. Last year, Delta withdrew its sponsorship of a theater that staged a graphic interpretation of “Julius Caesar” depicting the assassination of President Trump. Delta supports all of its customers but will not support organizations on any side of any highly charged political issue that divides our nation.
So why did Delta get involved here?
Delta may be on “the right side of history” (history is always written by the victors), but I’m not sure what Delta means when it pledges it “will not support organizations on any side of any highly charged political issue that divides our nation” and then proceeds to charter planes…not offer 10% discounts…for one side of a “highly charged political issue that divides our nation.”
I’m not criticizing Delta, per se. But actions speak louder than words.
CONCLUSION
My views on gun control, like most issues, are very nuanced. They are informed more often by my understanding of the Constitution than my personal feelings or even empirical data, which is absolutely startling on this issue. If you want to discuss gun control and a host of other political topics (I have a political science and law degree after all), come to Frequent Traveler University in New York or Washington, DC and we can chat between sessions.
My point in this post is not to condemn or praise Delta. It is merely to point it has taken a clear side in this debate.
image: Delta
Delta is just pissed off that people saw through their neutral BS and it cost them $50 million in tax breaks… so they stayed neutral again by joining the other side…
@gbtp is jealous that your smarter than him. god forbid you have an educated and reasoned position. The left always cries that the right is reactionary, clearly they are the reactionaries whose opinions are solely base don emotions and their feelings.
Living very close to Parkland and knowing many former associates who live there I consider this donation very similar to that by Robert Kraft. the owner of the New England Patriots and a friend of Donald Trump, as a proud gesture of support for young people who suffered a great deal and will be traumatized for the rest of their lives in expressing there desire to be free and happy when they go to school. These young people were certainly not political before and now only are reacting to the horrific event. They only want to feel safe and protected. They only want sane firearms laws and restrictions. There is no claim that the second amendment should be abolished. This gesture by Delta is not a political statement as much as it is a show of support for a community that was hurt and will forever suffer. I commend Delta, Robert Kraft and all others who gave their support to these students without concern for politics. Is it not nice that we are talking about young people being involved in our country for a change and not about drugs, crime, etc. The future is theirs…..I am 74. It is not mine.
How refreshingly rare it is to see a reasoned, dispassionate take on this matter from anyone in the travel blogging space.
Equally, if not more impressive, is the restraint shown by not wading into the gun issue itself. Members of the militant left, if given an audience, simply cannot resist the temptation to inject their politics into their work, regardless of the what the audience came for/paid for in the first place.
+1
I am so pleased that Delta is taking this stand. This has nothing to do with politics but everything to do with the safety of the population in general. In view of the loss of so many innocent lives, the appalling ease of buying guns is unconscionable! Everything must be done to stop this slaughter!
How about they (and UAL) just RUN AN AIRLINE instead of getting politically involved in all the social ills of the world ?