A Marine Corps veteran was unjustly removed from a Delta Air Lines flight in San Francisco last Wednesday, October 16 because a flight attendant found their shirt to be “threatening.”
Catherine Banks, the veteran in question, was shocked when a male flight attendant approached her and asked her to leave the plane. Confused, Banks asked for an explanation, to which the flight attendant replied that her shirt was considered threatening.
As a Marine Corps veteran with 22 years of service, Banks couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She explained that she was visiting her Marine sister and that her shirt, which read “Do not give in to the war within.
End veteran suicide,” was intended to raise awareness about this serious issue. However, the flight attendant disregarded her military service and insisted that she remove the shirt if she wanted to reboard the plane.
In a frustrating turn of events, Banks had to change her shirt on the jet bridge in front of the flight attendant. Feeling humiliated, she turned her back while making the change. “I feel like they just took my soul away. I’m not a bad person, and that T-shirt, I should be allowed to support myself and veterans,” Banks expressed.
Eventually, she was allowed back on the plane, but was relegated to a seat at the back instead of the extra legroom seat she had purchased. This resulted in a delay and caused her to miss her connecting flight.
Delta Air Lines reached out to Banks to address the situation, stating that “the matter with the customer has been resolved.” However, the incident raises questions about Delta’s decision-making process and the respect they show towards their passengers.
The airline’s Contract of Carriage does provide them the right to remove passengers if their attire causes offense or annoyance to others, but considering the meaningful message on Banks’ shirt, their response seems excessive and unjust.
It is disheartening to witness a veteran, who has served for more than two decades, being treated this way. Delta Air Lines should reconsider their policies and ensure that they take into account the intentions and backgrounds of their passengers before making prejudiced judgments.
