On August 12th, JetBlue and TSA officials confronted a passenger getting on a JFK-Oakland flight, and
demanded he remove his T-shirt, which said "we will not be silent" -- a quotation from the early anti-Nazi movement that has been translated into many languages. When he declined to remove it or turn it inside out, they said he'd be forbidden to travel. Not wanting to miss his flight, he compromised and wore a T-shirt JetBlue offered him, to cover his own. Feel safer yet?
I often fly and recommend JetBlue, but can't when it's taking Bush's side against its own passengers, or handling security so incompetently. They need to apologize. You can tell them so at their complaints page - I wrote them and got a reply back. Let's expand my little boycott (whether you currently fly JetBlue or not), spread this story around the blogosphere, and hold them accountable.
JetBlue officials have claimed for 3 weeks they're still "fact-finding", as they pray the story will disappear. But it got a surge this week, and on Friday Google News found it had been picked up by more than 100 papers. Meanwhile their "fact-finding" strategy has prevented them from giving their liberal but innocent passenger the only thing he's asked for: an apology.
The passenger is a peace activist and blogger. The officials claimed the key problem was that the T-shirt was in Arabic as well as English. One of them actually told him, "Going to an airport with a T-shirt in Arabic script is like going to a bank and wearing a T-shirt that says 'I'm a robber.'" They'd rather say that than admit they felt him being Arabic (Iraqi in fact) gave them license do to almost anything they wanted with him. Below find our correspondence, including a request to explain how hiding his T-shirt made passengers safer.
Let's make sure this doesn't go away just yet. Tellingly, their email reply referenced "DemocracyNow.org and other sites," - since of course, when the story broke weeks ago, the one consistently credible TV/radio news organization in this country reported it first.
Below find my correspondence with Jason Ward of JetBlue. Join me and show them mistreating their passengers - even if they're Arabic - is already costing JetBlue money. Conversely - and ironically - public pledges by U.S. firms to treat Arabs with respect actually help keep us safer.
This may seem like a small thing. But this is JetBlue in America, not Halliburton. Having mainstream companies abuse liberals, bloggers, and Arabs in the name of the "War on Terror" is a line they'd like to cross quietly. Let's not let them.
Right wingers (and even some here) will answer that JetBlue and TSA should do everything they can to keep us safer, especially to Arabs. (Should we even be discussing this? If we don't cooperate in keeping the JetBlue/TSA terrorist suspect criteria secret, we'll be sunk when the actual terrorists travel wearing Bomb Saddam! T-shirts and 3-piece suits. - [end snark])
But the subtler reality is, TSA had already decided he wasn't a threat when they agreed to let him on the flight. From there on they were involved in public relations - making sure passengers who are right-wing, racist, or simply terrified by BushCo propaganda feel that Arabs and lefties on JetBlue flights aren't getting too much freedom. Most likely they were appeasing a white passenger who complained about the T-shirt in the first place. It's un-American and it's despicable.
Dear <me>,
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to address the situation reported on DemocracyNow.org and other sites. We are working with the TSA to fully understand the situation, and we have not concluded our fact-finding yet.
JetBlue has no policy regarding messages on apparel. Our fundamental responsibility as an airline is to provide safe and secure travel for all of our customers. This requires us to be sensitive to the concerns of all of our customers, while also upholding the rights of the individual. We value diversity, among our customers as well as our crewmembers. We take our responsibility seriously, and should there be an opportunity to improve our effectiveness, we will take the appropriate action.
We appreciate your interest in this matter as well as your understanding of all our customers' needs. We remain available should you have any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Jason Ward
Director Customer Commitment
JetBlue Airways
Dear Jason Ward,
Thank you for your prompt reply. Unfortunately, JetBlue's lengthy "fact finding" mission is preventing my family from using JetBlue for our Labor Day holiday travel. When do you think it will be complete?
Has the passenger received an apology from JetBlue yet? It's not clear you need to do any further investigating to apologize to your customer and refund his air fare.
Please explain to my family any conceivable scenario where an individual can wear a JetBlue T-shirt without causing a security problem, while the same individual on the same flight wearing a T-shirt showing another message can be a threat.
If you have no honest answer to this question, I'm troubled that JetBlue is more concerned with appearances, public relations, and obedience than actual security. I don't know of any other airline that has that set of priorities, and my family and friends aren't comfortable condoning or paying for shoddy security and phony "safety".
If you continue to stonewall, you're adopting the policies of the most famously incompetent sectors of our government. Expect the blogs to show JetBlue CEO Dave Neeleman chirping "Heckuva job, Jenny Dervin!" while she harasses passengers, chases phantom threats and ignores potentially real ones. Has Neeleman made any statement?
Friendly advice from a fan:
With each passing day, this story gets bigger and JetBlue's reputation suffers more.
If you're ready to risk your integrity and reputation to stand behind this treatment of passengers, consider your profits and stockholders too. A sincere apology costs nothing, while your current policy is already costing you money.
If you're still fact-finding when my next TrueBlue points expire, I will be demanding cash or equivalent compensation. I'm sure you understand why - my family can't eat in segregated restaurants either.
I look forward to your prompt reply.
Sincerely,
<me>
JetBlue should at least apologize, and really should refund his fare. (They demanded he vacate a seat that he had reserved for weeks.)
It's easy to complain at JetBlue here. I selected Inflight Service and Other.
And of course, blog and write letters to the editor in your usual fashion.
Let the world know we'll start flying JetBlue again as soon as they apologize. And they should do it quick - sincere apologies have natural time limits. (The NYTimes had a nice piece on apologies the other day, prompted mainly by the recent blizzard of gaffes and apologies from the Burns and Allen comedy team (Senators Conrad and George) and their racist ilk.)
Update: WOW!! I have never been so inspired by a collaboration here. So many passionate letters to JetBlue! Links to the actual, utterly innocuous T-shirt! A link to Amy Goodman's recent follow-up, with the origins of the phrase and the shirt. Here is the passenger's account of his experience. Insights and laughs - even brainy jokes about the Arabic numerals! This Community ROCKS!
JetBlue is now getting a giant earful and an actual boycott! - and we're getting good at uniting to demand respectful treatment, even for people who aren't like us. It looks to me like JetBlue's unwise hesitation to stand up for passengers could cost them $100,000 and more this year alone...
In fairness to TSA, Homeland Security and JetBlue, I believe it was Moussaoui who testified, "I never do hijacking or suicide bombing without my lucky 'Death to America' T-shirt."