Delta Faces Backlash Over Social Media Posts Attacking Flight Attendants Wearing Palestinian Flag Pins

Delta Air Lines has come under intense scrutiny and calls for boycotts after the company appeared to falsely connect its flight attendants’ Palestine flag badges to the militant group Hamas.

The incident has sparked a heated debate around issues of representation, discrimination and the airline’s response to the situation.

The controversy began when the campaign group StopAntisemitism posted an image on X of a Delta flight attendant with a Palestine flag pin. The group questioned whether the airline had “added Palestine as a new summer route,” and made the false implication that there is a connection between Palestine and the militant organization Hamas. The post also included a screengrab of the flight attendant’s Instagram.

Days later, the group shared another image of a second Delta employee who sported a similar Palestine flag badge, which further fueled the controversy.

Delta’s official response on X endorsed the narrative with the statement, “I hear you and 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.” In another reply, Delta added, “Nothing to worry, this is being investigated already, particularly the involved parties.”

The airline’s reaction to the comments has drawn widespread criticism from commentators, campaign groups, and the public. Many have called for a boycott of Delta, as one X user eloquently stated, “No more flying @delta from me unless they apologize for this vile attack against their own employees for wearing the flag of a country recognized by the vast majority of the world.”

Muslim scholar Omar Suleiman echoed this sentiment with the hashtag “#BoycottDelta” alongside the assertion, “These airlines won’t learn until you stop giving them business.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also weighed in and called on Delta to apologize for the “racist anti-Palestinian tweet” and take steps to educate its employees on the issue. Yonah Lieberman, the co-founder of the Jewish American campaign group IfNotNow, accused Delta of legitimizing the “racist and disgusting smear that the Palestinian flag is a hate symbol.”

In response to the backlash, Delta has since removed the controversial posts and acknowledged the error, and stated that the employee responsible for the posts “has been counseled and no longer supports Delta’s social channels.” The airline also apologized for the incident and stated that it was “not in line with our values and our mission to connect the world.”

This latest controversy is not the first time Delta has faced scrutiny over issues related to Israel‘s conflict with Gaza. In May, a Jewish activist reported that they were ordered by Delta staff to cover up a T-shirt that read “Jews say ceasefire now” while on a flight.

The airline has also come under fire in the past for alleged discrimination, particularly against Muslim passengers. In 2020, Delta was fined $50,000 by the U.S. Transport Department for ordering Muslim passengers off planes despite its own security officials clearing them to travel.