Delta Airlines to ban Jews and Israeli Citizens From Boarding Flights to Saudi Arabia- Disputed!
Summary of eRumor:
This is a forwarded email that says Delta Airlines plans to add Saudi Arabian Airlines to their Sky Team. Because of this affiliation, warnings have hit the World Wide Web alleging that Delta might begin enforcing a Saudi Arabian policy of not admitting Jews or Israelis on their flights bound to Saudi Arabia.
The Truth:
It is true that Delta Airlines has entered into an affiliation with Saudi Airlines but Delta said that it does not have any policy that discriminates ethnically, religiously or racially against anyone who travels on their planes
Trebor Banstetter, a spokesperson for Delta, released a statement on the Delta Airlines Blog on Thursday June 23, 2011 that said, “First and foremost, I think one of the most important things to mention here is that Delta does not discriminate nor do we condone discrimination against anyone in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, or gender.” The statement also said, that “it’s important to realize that visa requirements to enter any country are dictated by that nation’s government, not the airlines, and they apply to anyone entering the country regardless of whether it’s by plane, bus or train.”
The blog said that Delta belongs to an alliance of 14 international airlines and that they have a standard industry agreement with each other. This, according to the blog, “allows passengers to book tickets on multiple carriers.” Other airlines in this alliance include American Airlines, US Airways and Alaska Airlines.
This recent affiliation also sparked an investigation on Capitol Hill, according to a June 25 article in the Jerusalem Post. Senator Mark Kirk (R Illinois) wrote J. Randolph Babbit, the Administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration asking him him to determine whether there were any violations of U.S. laws or regulations by Delta Airlines.
update 6/24/11