JetBlue has fired its inflight map vendor after controversy erupted over the mapmaker’s display of the “Palestinian Territories” (versus Israel) on the system JetBlue uses or its inflight seatback moving map.
JetBlue Fires Map Vendor After Outrage Over “Palestinian Territories” Label Over Israel
While JetBlue does not fly to Israel or anywhere else in the region, JetBlue licenses (well, licensed) maps from a company called GeoFusion and you can use your fingers to check out the entire world, not just the route of your particular flight.
It was on such a flight that a woman reportedly was talking to her seatmate about Israel and pivoted the map to show where Israel was…then encountered the image you see above.
- The word “Palestinian Territories” ran across the entirety of Israel
- The map of Israel did not include the occupied Golan Heights or parts of the West Bank
She complained, alerted other press outlets sympathetic to Israel, and JetBlue’s first reaction was to argue there was no harm intended.
The map app is provided to us by a third-party company, which they license from a specialty technology company [GeoFusion].
A number of other airlines around the world use the same map technology on their seatback screens.
We don’t believe the provider has made updates or changes to the map recently. The concern reported about the font size seems to be related to when a user zooms into the map on an area that is small in size. When zooming into smaller countries and cities, the font labels increase disproportionately to the land. This is how the technology works on all areas of the globe and it does not appear to be an intentional choice or statement about Israel.
The map app is primarily meant to see where your aircraft is flying, and JetBlue does not fly to Isael or the Middle East. To that end, we have not previously reviewed the map app’s functionality in that region. We’ve reached out to our service provider to get more information about the map’s functionality and accuracy.
GeoFusion is a privately-held Carmel, California-based company co-founded by Alexander Matiyevsky, Paul Hansen, and Howard Larson.
JetBlue has apologized: the New York-based carrier is now ditching GeoFusion (via another intermediary) and shopping for a new map vendor:
We’re sorry for the concern this has caused. We can assure you that no one on the JetBlue team was involved with drawing or labeling the map of the region and we were not previously aware of the issue.
After a careful review, we have decided to switch to a new map vendor. While our content provider works on making this transition, we have also asked the current vendor to adjust our onboard map so that it aligns with the U.S. government’s map guidance for the region. We are making these changes as quickly as the technology allows.
The new maps will roll out gradually.
My Thoughts On This: Tempest In A Teapot
Regular readers know that I am firmly in the pro-Israel camp as it battles Hamas in the Gaza Strip…I cannot state any clearer that I hope Israel destroys every member of Hamas and razes tunnels and terrorist infrastructure such that it can never be reconstituted again.
That said, I question whether there were ever any bad motives here.
First, I tend to think sloppy programming was to blame rather than malice toward the Jewish state. Notice that both Israel and Palestinian Territories in the map picture above are in the same font and same font size. Yes of course, the Palestinian Territories stretch over more space when it is 22 characters long while Israel is only six.
I don’t see the outrage, using the same argument, the Palestinian Territories also stretches into Jordan.
Isn’t the issue more likely to be an auto-alignment error, like other websites or apps where if you pinch and zoom a certain way, things appear distorted?
As for the Golan Heights, it was only in 2019 that the USA finally recognized the Golan Heights as a sovereign territory of Israel. The rest of the world still views that area as “Occupied Syria” (occupied since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War).
So maybe the map should have been updated to comport to the US geopolitik, but that’s a very different thing than leaving out Israel altogether (like some carriers).
Now I could be wrong and if there was any motive to marginalize Israel, than I hope the company goes out of business…but I don’t think we can draw that conclusion here and frankly I’m willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt, at least for now.
CONCLUSION
JetBlue has replaced its inflight map vendor after controversy over the display of “Palestinian Territories” emerged. While I think it is both reasonable and wise to adjust maps to comply with US guidelines, I see no ill motive from JetBlue and not even necessarily bad motives from the California-based map vendor. But this was certainly a distraction JetBlue did not need as it fights to return to profitability.
They knew about it … it is part and parcel of the DEI schtick . There are always company managers monitoring contractors . Empty apology : “we were not previously aware of the issue” = phony baloney .
Matthew, you can blame “sloppy programming”, but in these days of great political differences, who can be sure. And this is (or was) a unique way to slip one’s political views into an argument (did I initiate a new conspiracy???). Of course, it will be interesting to see if future passengers on whatever airline spend their time looking for more such errors.
I certainly will. Same with places like Crimea.
But I just don’t see the malice here…I think I’m open to it, but just don’t see it.
Similar malice as that held by the pro-Hamas protesters at Colombia ?
Stupid comment. Being pro-Palestinian isn’t the same thing as being pro-Hamas. Anyone with at half a brain understands that.
Seems like half a brain is hard to find anong pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Hamas is a tragedy for Palestinians, and removing them from power should be the primary concern of anyone who cares about Palestinians. Yet no demonstrators call for this.
Still twice as much of a brain as you have.
The bigger tragedy for the Palestinians is the Israeli occupation. If anything, that is the real primary concern, since even if Hamas didn’t exist, the brutal Israeli occupation still would exist. And Hamas is only really a factor in Gaza, not the occupied West Bank.
Matt, Ben at OMAAT posted about the same map, and boy, did the Israel-haters respond. And when you read the tone of those who claim that they can be anti-Israel and not anti-Jewish/anti-semitic, it’s obvious that most of them really see no difference in their anti-Israel attitude and hate for Jews in general. So, as innocent as the map may seem, in the present times, it could have been intentional.
Oh please, that is straight out of the Hasbara propaganda playbook. Denounce *any* criticism of Israel and/or Zionism and/or sympathy for the Palestinians as being antisemitic. Not saying there isn’t antisemitism in the world, but to lump all or even the majority of criticism as antisemitism is just bullsh*t.
It should read Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Instead of Israel?
At the very least when referring to the West Bank and Gaza.
Hope you have the same energy for post’s like Pete’s below.
Many times Arabs attacked Israel and lost. Now it’s all Israeli territory. Spoils of war. Accept this and move on. Israel has a right to exist and it isn’t going anywhere.
Then the Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza should be made full and equal citizens of Israel, with all of the same rights and privileges of Israel’s Jewish citizens.
Did we all miss the part that she was having to show some ignoramus where Israel is on a world map?
From the river to the sea,
Israel it will always be.