New York – Delta Air Lines found itself with a public-relations headache after the online world lit up with talk that the airline wouldn’t fly Jews to Saudi Arabia.
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That’s not true. Saudi Arabia decides who gets in the country and who doesn’t, not the airlines. Delta doesn’t even fly there. Still, by Friday, a U.S. senator wanted an investigation, Delta was professing its tolerance, and some Twitter users called for went so far as to mention a boycott.
To explain:
Saudi Arabian Airlines is joining the SkyTeam Alliance, which includes Delta. So, it’s possible that, starting next year, a traveler could buy an airline ticket that starts with a flight on Delta and ends with a flight on Saudi Arabian Airlines into Saudi Arabia.
Delta, like all airlines, asks travelers before they leave whether they have a visa to enter the country they’re flying to. Yes? Welcome aboard. No? Sorry, you’re not going anywhere.
Saudi Arabia, like all countries that require a visa for entry, decides who gets one. Airlines don’t know why a visa was denied, only that the traveler doesn’t have one.
The U.S. State Department says some Americans have reported being refused a Saudi visa because their passport reflected travel to Israel or that they were born in Israel. Also, Saudi Arabia’s visa application asks the traveler’s religion, causing some to suspect that putting down “Jewish” or for that matter “atheist” will hurt their chances of getting a visa. Saudi Arabia, like several countries, does not recognize Israel.
Because Saudi Arabian Airlines is becoming a member of SkyTeam, Delta was singled out in reports that ran Thursday and were passed around social media. U.S. carriers already partner with other airlines that fly to Saudi Arabia, including Air France and the German airline Lufthansa.
On Friday, Republican Sen. Mark Kirk said he wrote to the Federal Aviation Administration to ask for an investigation into whether Delta “violated U.S. law or regulation and to ensure no U.S. citizen is denied their right to fly solely on the basis of their religion.”
Delta said on Friday that it does not discriminate, and pointed out that it doesn’t fly to Saudi Arabia or codeshare with any airline that does. It said it does not plan to codeshare with Saudi Arabian Airlines. (A codeshare is when an airline places its flight designator, or “code,” onto a flight operated by a different airline. The arrangement allows airlines to sell tickets on each other’s flights.) Delta does have what’s called an “interline agreement” with Saudi Arabian Airlines, which allows tickets to be sold that include multiple airlines for multiple legs of the trip.
Saudi Arabia also bars travelers from bringing in “pornographic materials or publications that violate the social norms of decency.” The U.S. State Department tells travelers that Saudi officials ban “any item that is held to be contrary to the tenets of Islam, such as pork products and pornography. Imported and domestic audiovisual media and reading matter are censored.”
It also said that Christmas decorations, fashion magazines, and videos considered suggestive by Saudi officials may be confiscated and the owner subject to penalties and fines.
While airlines check for passports and visas, they don’t ask travelers about items that might be prohibited by the destination country.
Earlier this month Delta faced a public outcry after two soldiers complained in a video posted on YouTube that their unit returning from Afghanistan was charged $200 each to check a fourth bag. Delta ended up changing its baggage policy to allow four bags for free for troops in coach.
I have no idea what Delta asks for and does not ask for but I have flown to many Countries that require visas and the airline at my Country of origin never asked me if I have a visa to get into that Country. The only time I was asked for a visa was when I arrived in that Country at the customs line.
This AP piece seems to have been written by Delta themselves.
1, They have made an agreement to fly their passengers on SAA flights, and that means that Delta themselves will be checking into and excluding Jews from these flights. We are not only talking about direct flights to Saudi Arabia, but any flight that passes through their airport on the way to another destination.
2, The explanation that “other airlines also do it” is no excuse. Those airlines should also be boycotted, especially if they make such an agreement with SAA.
3, This disgraceful discrimination is being carried out by an American company, by American citizens, against American citizens and on American soil!
It’s wrong for Delta to join a airline who discriminates…
But putting that asside you should not travel with Delta cause their customer service is most probably the worst in the Nation!
I try to avoid Delta when ever I Can!
Don’t ever fly with Delta; their ticket agents are amoung the rudest, and most incompetent in the industry.
Senator Kirk is heading in the right direction. It’s high time for the US to openly confront Saudi Arabia regarding their open discrimination. Why should we do any business with them if they can’t treat Yidden as human beings? Is it because we don’t have enough oil? Well, then, it’s time to drill right here.
I flew on Quantas Air to Australia. They would not let me board until I showed them that I had the proper visa. In fact, I had to go buy the visa in the airport at JFK from some different airline before they would give me a boarding pass. It is my understanding that most airlines do, in fact, check to make sure you can get into the country you are flying to before they let you take off. I don’t hink Delta is doing anything wrong by following that procedure. I also think anyone crazy enough to be flying to Saudi Arabia is well aware of the fact that they need a visa and has taken care of that before hand. Even the few Jews who do need to fly there do manage to get visas, mostly by lying on the application – even going so far as to get a priest to sign off for them. I’ve seen this actually happen for business reasons.
No US Airline flies to Saudi Arabia. But most US airlines are in alliances with airlines that do. It is unfair to single out Delta when American, United, and US Airways all also have partnerships with airlines that fly to Saudi Arabia.
I fly internationally every single month. Delta checks that I have a Chinese visa before I board flights to Beijing. Continental checks that I have a Brazilian visa before I board a flight to Rio. KLM checks that I have a Russian visa before I board a flight to Moscow. Air France checks that I have an Indian visa before I board a flight to Mumbai.
This article is correct. Delta is correct. The whining hysterical masses are making fools of themselves. There is plenty of legitimate antisemitism that we need to confront. Getting up in arms about non issues, pointing fingers with misplaced blame, that hurts our cause.
Delta Airlines was not forced to make a pact with Saudi Arabia’s national airline.
This smacks of 1930’s Nazi Germany banning of Jews entering Germany.
Israel should strongly consider removing Delta’s landing rights, if this situation is not resolved.