Yesterday, a pilot for a Delta Airlines feeder flight in Memphis threw two Muslim clerics off his plane saying that some passengers “might” be uncomfortable with them aboard. Their crime? They wore “Arab garb.” That’s the sole criteria used by this pilot to determine it was too dangerous to fly with them:
Two Muslim religious leaders say they were removed from a plane in Memphis on Friday and were told the pilot refused to fly with them aboard. One of the imams, Masudur Rahman, said they had cleared security but were asked to leave their Delta Connection flight to Charlotte, N.C. A Transportation Security Administration spokesman confirmed the incident and said it was not initiated by that agency. Delta Air Lines said the flight was operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which said the inicident is being investigatd. Mr. Rahman said they were told that the pilot refused to accept them because some passengers could be uncomfortable. Mr. Rahman said that he was wearing traditional Indian clothing and that his companion, Mohamed Zaghloul of the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis, wore Arab garb.
I understand a pilot has complete discretion to decide who flies with him and doesn’t have to explain his reasons. But an airline shouldn’t have to explain firing this dude either. And if they don’t I think a boycott against Delta Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines is in order. Against Delta till it cancels its contract with Atlantic Southeast and against the latter for employing this Neanderthal.
If anyone can get me the e mail address for Delta’s and Atlantic Southeast’s CEOs I’d be happy to post them here. Thanks to the reader who researched info about Atlantic Southeast:
Brad Holt, President and Chief Operating Officer
Atlantic Southeast Airlines
A-Tech Center
990 Toffie Terrace
Atlanta, GA 30354-1363
Telephone: 404-856-1000
Corporate Fax: 404-856-1203
Customer Relations: 404-856-1433
Customer Relations Fax: 404-856-1403
I wish I could say this is the first instance of being guilty of flying while Arab, but alas it isn’t.
Okay–this isn’t the ceo, but it is a complaint form for Delta. http://www.delta.com/emailus/servlet/EmailUs?cmd=go
Never mind. I tried filling out the complaint form and it is worse than a federal tax return. Sorry. L
let’s examine airline security incidents over the weekend, keep in mind that only a week ago UBL was executed and tension is high.
on Sunday night, Rageh Ahmed Mohammed Al-Murisi, 28, who was carrying a California identification card in addition to his Yemeni passport (care to guess what’s his ethnic background? hint: he wasn’t shouting Jesus Christ or Holly Moses while doing so.) tried to brake into a tried to break into the locked cockpit of an American Airlines flight bound for San Francisco before crew members and passengers, including two retired law enforcement officers, were able to subdue him, authorities said Monday.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/09/BA6P1JDPHP.DTL
SAN DIEGO — A Delta Airlines flight from Detroit to San Diego made a five-hour unplanned layover in Albuquerque Sunday so FBI agents could investigate a napkin with the word “bomb” written on it.
Flight 1706 diverted to Sunport International Airport just before 10 a.m. San Diego time, FBI spokesman Frank A. Fisher said in Albuquerque.
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-breaking-news-delta-flight,0,1247762.story
There is no fact that the Pilot wasn’t that PC in the way he treated the two Muslims, but just keep in mind that he has access to information alerts the general public isn’t expose to. I can understand why he decided to prevent them from flying with him.
Nonsense. Investigating a napkin that allegedly has the word “bomb” on it is a bona fide security threat? In which universe?
Neither the Atlantic Southeast pilot nor TSA made any claim of any security threat & the 2 ejected passengers went through security screening not once, not twice but three times. So if you were reasonable you’d give up the ghost & just admit this pilot didn’t have his head screwed on right. But I doubt you’ll just concede he behaved like an idiot as most of the rest of us believe.
Are you that unaware to what’s happening in the world ?
“Three U.S. airline security scares yesterday were brought to quick ends by crew members and passengers on high alert after the death of Osama bin Laden, aviation safety specialists said.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-09/airlines-on-bin-laden-alert-credited-with-ending-security-scares.html
Everybody but you, are on high alert, police in NY, Airline security etc.
i am not saying the pilot did the right thing,but i can understand his actions.
I don’t have the time to read yr hasbara either. You may briefly quote an article if you believe it supports yr pt of view. I live in this country & read a major national newspaper from front to finish & have heard of none of these alleged security scares. So I guess professional newspaper editors have a diff. take on how serious the incidents were than you. That could be due to the fact that you live in a national security state & are so obsessed by the issue that you see scares where they aren’t.
So Bloomberg – when of the most respectful news services in the US is considered Hasbara, and it’s not professional enough for you ?
National Security state ? are things that different in Memphis with comparison to Seattle ?
it’s amazing to me, how you really have nothing of substance to say.