In response to uproar for and against a flight attendant who wore a Palestinian flag pin, Delta Air Lines will ban all flag pins while in uniform except for the US flag. While this policy may be a necessary response to address the increasing polarization of flag pins, a middle path is still possible as a long-term solution.
Delta Air Lines Defends Flight Attendant Who Wore Palestinian Flag Pin But Updates Uniform Policy To Ban Flag Pins
What happens when two rules conflict?
Answer: clarification is required.
Delta has a long-standing rule prohibiting “any clothing that conveys a message or advocates a position or cause other than Delta-sponsored programs or initiatives.”
Delta also has a long-standing rule that flag pins are permitted in uniform, ostensibly to show heritage and/or language qualification.
These two rules conflict when a flag pin becomes a political statement, like wearing an Israeli flag pin or a Palestinian flag pin to show your solidarity in the current war.
Is the flight attendant who wore the pin of Palestinian origin? Does he speak Arabic? If the answer to those questions is no, then it seems clear that the use of that pin clearly violates the first rule above.
Nevertheless, Delta has chosen to defend the flight attendant and says that wearing a pin is currently permitted.
Why would Delta say that? I can think of two constituencies Delta is quite mindful of.
First, its flight attendants. Delta has a vested self-interest in carefully navigating this issue because it does not want its flight attendants to unionize. Thus, it has tiptoed around the issue in an effort not to antagonize those who may decide to unionize if they feel they are not being treated with respect by Delta.
Not surprisingly, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) has seized the opportunity to turn on the faux outrage machine, arguing that Delta must apologize to the employee, continue to allow such uniform items, and ban customers from taking photos of flight attendants without consent.
The Delta AFA Steering Committee sent the following open letter to our leadership team, demanding decisive and public action in support of Delta Flight Attendants.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/ezYuNRybIj— DeltaAFA (@DeltaAFA) July 11, 2024
The AFA will turn any tempest in a teapot into a wedge issue to try to alienate flight attendants from management, so its action is not surprising.
Second, Delta is mindful of its Detroit constituency. Delta is not foolish to realize that a sizeable customer base at one of its major hubs tends to be more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, united by religious solidarity. Alienating Muslim customers, as we will see below, may not be good for business.
Delta Bans Employees From Flags Pins
But even as Delta defends the flight attendant who wore the Palestinian flag pin, the current flag pin rule is changing. Effective July 15, 2024, employees will be banned from wearing flag pins except for US flag pins.
There is wisdom in that move, even if it reflects an unfortunate reality of incivility; a time in which we cannot tolerate opposing views on highly-controversial issues. The pins became a distraction and undermined Delta’s primary mission of trying to provide safe, reliable, and quality air transport. The ban is therefore appropriate because of the passions that an Israeli or particularly a Palestinian flag pin inflamed. Russian versus Ukrainian flag pins may have evoked the same reaction.
The Social Media Controversy On X
Delta has also been in some hot water this week for its response on X/Twitter to someone who complained about the flight attendant wearing a Palestinian flag pin, which the Twitter user labeled a “Hamas badge.”
“Since 2001 we take our shoes off in every airport because a terrorist attack in US soil. Now imagine getting into a @Delta flight and seeing workers with Hamas badges in the air. What do you do?”
As we discussed before, that’s quite a leap and there was no other reason to believe that the flag pin suggested support for Hamas versus solidarity with Palestinian civilians. In fact, Hamas has its own flag…
Delta’s Twitter team responded with an affirmation:
“I hear you as I’d be terrified as well, personally. Our employees reflect our culture and we do not take it lightly when our policy is not being followed.”
The Council On American Islamic Relations (CAIR) took great offense:
Whether this racist post on Delta’s X account was approved or unauthorized, Delta must apologize and take steps to educate its employees about this type of dangerous anti-Palestinian racism. Bigotry against Palestinian-Americans is absolutely out of control in workplaces and at… pic.twitter.com/3wezN6W8iN
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) July 10, 2024
The post wasn’t racist (expressing racial superiority). But it was totally misinformed (and it isn’t clear whether the Delta employee simply did not read the tweet closely or just took the “Hamas badge” statement at face value).
That employee has been removed from social media…
Delta has also issued an apology:
“We removed a mistakenly posted comment on X Wednesday because it was not in line with our values and our mission to connect the world.
“The team member responsible for the post has been counseled and no longer supports Delta’s social channels. We apologize for this error.”
I find the apology appropriate because insisting that a Palestinian flag represents terrorism is grossly unfair without further context.
A Better Way Forward
I love it when flight attendants wear flag pins to designate what languages they speak. I also loved it when Emirates once had flag pins to show where its diverse crews came from and what languages they spoke.
Take Arabic, for example. There is no “Arabic” flag. Rather, there are dozens of nations in which Arabic is spoken and many have distinct dialects or nuances. If a flight attendant is from Gaza or the West Bank and speaks Arabic, I think a Palestinian flag pin is quite appropriate.
But this could be vetted and the flag etched onto the nametag issued by Delta…I think that is an appropriate long-term solution that would recognize the unique backgrounds of many Delta employees and also highlight what languages they speak.
CONCLUSION
Delta has updated its uniform policy to ban all flag pins except the USA pin. For better or for worse, the controversy ignited by a flight attendant wearing a Palestinian flag pin has sparked outrage and debate. With opinions so divided on the nature and meaning of flag pins, Delta’s choice to ban pins makes sense, though I hope that it will evaluate incorporating flags into nametags in the future.
What are your thoughts on this matter?
top image: @ajhooray / Instagram
I think I am going to try to buy (or make) a dual Israel-Palestine flag pin and wear in on planes just to confuse people…
This would be a great message (supporting peace between Israelis and Palestinians) that nobody would get. Instead it would upset both sides.
That’s a suggestion I made some months back and did in support for a two-state solution. But support for a two-state solution to be delivered is not what it used to be.
There is no money in a two state solution.
The NGO’s that enable the terrorism and Hamas don’t want to stop misappropriating tax payer money.
It’s how Arafat died a billionaire and the same with the human garbage currently holed up in Doha.
A flag pin is always a political statement. No less so with beloved US flag pins.
Sadly, you are correct.
I would say yes, a US flag pin is also (almost always) a political statement.
But in the context of designating 1.) place of birth and/or 2.) language qualification, I think a degree of politics is removed.
This was a fair and balanced post on a fair and balanced decision by Delta – I’m impressed by both. One thing I should note having grown up in Detroit and studied the A-I and I-P conflicts there is that religious solidarity is really a more minor reason why people in the are are so sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq (and their expatriates in the United States) are very religiously diverse, with significant Christian populations. The reason for Hamas’ strength in the Gaza strip is not religious but rather because they are the only local actors willing to present credible resistance to the Israeli occupation. It’s less enthusiastic support for Islamist governance and moreso “this is the only option we have”. You also have to remember that part of the reason why Hamas is the only option they have is because of Israeli efforts to undermine or co-opt any secular resistance movements (e.g. Fatah in the West Bank) and the Israeli government’s strategy of financially supporting Hamas to help them maintain their hold in Gaza – since they believe that if Hamas is the only standard-bearer for Palestinian freedom then it will discredit the cause generally.
Someone who understands the dynamic as it is.
Israeli occupation?
Egat an ignorant would write so while the last israeli soldier left Gaza in September 2005. Go read some history before you expose your ignorance
Here’s an idea: No political messages of any kind. The FAs are there to serve drinks, keep the passengers in their seats when the sign is on, and conduct an evacuation if there is an emergency. It’s a job, and the passengers don’t want to hear about their politics, whatever they are. Save that for when you’re not working. Though I am a devoted lover of MAGA, I never talk about it when I’m working, nor would I ever wear a “Make America Great Again” hat to a business meeting. It’s simply not professional.
Thank you Chi Hsuan. Well said
Delta is a US airline so a US flag is ok. Any other flag is uncalled for. There is a reason they wear uniforms. We don’t care about your political or any other affiliations or likes. For languages, use pins saying ‘i speak english’, ‘ yo hablo español’ etc
Matthew it appears your original article on this topic was incorrect, this is the quote from the first article:
“Second, because the pin could just signify he speaks Arabic (though that would still make it an unauthorized pin). ”
that is in fact not correct right? if the pin was meant to signify he spoke Arabic then it would have been permitted under the old (now changed) policy.
Either way, Delta’s solution seems sensible.
That sentence requires clarification. I would not call the article incorrect.
Fair enough.
As long as the American flag is on the side of the plane, no other flags need be worn as part of the company uniform, while flying under treaties negotiated in the name of the American flag.
More helpful for the language issue would be a statement under the employees name on the badge, in both English and the other skilled language, “I speak [other language].” It adds ~6 words (3 in English and ~3 in the skilled language – even less for “Hablo espanol” and “Parle francais”), and can be issued by the company as part of the company-approved skill set of the crewmember.
I wonder what the reaction would be to an FA wearing a Russian flag ( to indicate that the FA spoke Russian, of course . No one would ever mistake it for a political statement, right ? ) .
I just don’t get it. I’ve always understood that if customers could see me, I should never wear something that made a political/social/etc, statement. Outside of work, I love wearing my “clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right” shirt.
Exactly , you don’t understand it because you are a westerner , not a muslim Arab.
You think Arabs are like you but they are not like you.
They do not care about your rules or your peace.
Americans are so naive. You think the people of Gaza will not chop off your heads just like they did in Israel. Just the way muslims and islamists do wherever they take hold.
All those monsters in the hate marches, marching the streets and universities with faces covered, support murder and slaughtering of people just like the monsters in Gaza. And you let them. You do nothing.
Westerners are so naive, when the muslims whom you take so much care not to offend come knocking on your doors, then you will understand,
Then you will understand the Israelis and all the other nations who suffer the consequences of the madness of muslims, Palestinians, and those like them.
Hi Matthew, I’m a member of the Steering Committee that sent the open letter to our management and issued the petition, and a flight attendant for Delta. “AFA” the organization did not take advantage of this situation to try to widen the wedge. We, as employees, took issue with what we saw from our company on and their failure to condemn the harassment of our coworkers, and addressed it. Face it, with a union they would not have been able to arbitrarily make the subsequent decision to change this policy the way they did without consideration of the message it sends to crew members and passengers alike that who they are is offensive. We would have been involved and could have worked together to find a viable solution that values the diversity we bring to the table while protecting us.
Thanks for your comment.
Uniforms are meant to be uniform. No additions and there will be no issues. Easy.