Delta Airlines has been fined $50,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) for alleged “discriminatory conduct” after removing three Muslim passengers on two separate occasions in 2016, despite them being cleared by airline security officials. The order says that Delta must “cease and desist from future similar violations, assesses the carrier $50,000 in civil penalties,” and requires the airline to not only better its e-training civil rights program but have certain staff trained in cultural competency and civil rights. According to the Los Angeles Times, Delta maintained that it did not discriminate against the passengers but admitted employees could have handled the incidents in a better manner.
The first incident referred to in the order occurred on July 26, 2016, when a married Muslim couple flying from France to their hometown in Ohio allegedly made passengers uncomfortable because of the wife’s hijab, or headscarf.
According to the consent order, a passenger described the couple as “fidgety, nervous, and sweating” to a flight attendant and claimed the husband inserted something into his watch. The flight attendant then relayed the passenger's concerns to the pilots and added that when she walked through the cabin the man was using his cellphone to text and repeatedly used the word “Allah.” He also did not smile back at her, she said. This prompted the captain to call security and have the passengers removed for further investigation.
But despite being cleared, the captain did not let the couple re-board because the staff was “uncomfortable.” “It appears that but for Mr. and Mrs. X’s perceived religion, Delta would not have removed or denied them re-boarding,” the order said.
Now, personally, if I go through my text messages while writing this article, I have used the word “Allah” at least 30 times today. As a Muslim, I use many Islamic phrases when texting, including ‘Inshallah’, ‘Alhamdulillah,’ and ‘Mashallah,’ which translate to ‘God willing,’ ‘praise be to God,’ and ‘God has willed it.’ Even South Asian friends of mine who do not identify as Muslim, use the term ‘Mashallah’ to describe things of natural beauty. The fact is that “Allah” just means God. It doesn’t mean God for Muslims: It literally is just the Arabic translation for the word English word God. Those who speak Arabic use the term Allah to refer to God despite their religion, so assuming someone is Muslim based on the use of the word Allah is, quite frankly, ignorant.
Five days later, Delta allegedly discriminated against another Muslim man in Amsterdam on a flight bound for New York, the consent order said. In this incident, passengers complained the man had made “significant eye contact” with someone of a similar cultural background at the airport. They also stated that the person did not board the plane but handed the man a package. Flight attendants then allegedly noticed this man was sweating, too, and addressed their concerns to the captain. (Apparently, it's wrong to be a sweaty person on a plane.)
According to the order, the first officer saw “nothing remarkable” and it was confirmed by Delta Corporate Security that the passenger’s record had “no red flags.” The captain then began the journey, only to change his mind and come back to the gate, where he “requested” the man be removed and rebooked on another flight. Because the man was “not subjected to additional security screening” before he was rebooked and this did not follow Delta security protocol, the DoT said, “We find that the Captain’s removal of Mr. A on Flight 49, on July 31, 2016, from Amsterdam to New York after being cleared was discriminatory.”
The airline responded to the order in a statement to NBC News, saying "best customer service was not reflected" in how the incidents were handled, but "we disagree with the Department of Transportation's contention that Delta engaged in discriminatory conduct."
According to NBC News, Delta said it has "worked to improve our investigative process since these incidents and we have supporting programs, policies, training and procedures that back up our commitments in this area.”
The company issued a statement in the consent order, noting it is "a global airline that serves customers of all races, ethnicities, and religious affiliations ... Delta stands by its record as an airline where all are welcome, and unlawful discrimination of any kind is not tolerated."
While DoT officials did not give an explanation of how they came up with $50,000 as the fine amount, they said the fine “establishes a strong deterrent against future similar unlawful practices by Delta and other carriers, “ Al Jazeera reported. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which represented one of the Muslim passengers, said that it was “glad” to see these discriminatory acts were taken “seriously, ” but questioned the fine amount. According to CAIR Cincinnati’s executive director Karen Dabdoub, Delta earned almost $5 billion last year, which makes a $50,000 fine “basically a slap on the wrist.”
This isn’t the only time Delta has treated passengers wrongly. Adam Saleh, a popular YouTuber, also faced discrimination at the hands of Delta in 2016, the same year the above incidents occurred. He was allegedly “kicked off” a flight for speaking Arabic on the phone, Daily Kos reported. A video detailing the incident was shared on his Twitter.
And Delta isn’t the only airline that’s been accused discriminating against Muslim passengers. Last month, Daily Kos reported that a Southwest Airlines flight attendant said a woman’s hijab was making passengers “uncomfortable.” The flight attendant even threatened to throw the woman off the plane. The incident was described on Twitter by the woman’s husband, a journalist for The Intercept, and quickly went viral.
Related: 'Flying while Muslim': Southwest allegedly tells woman in hijab she's making others uncomfortable
