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United Airlines Refuses To Stop Employees From Wearing Palestinian Pins
By: Karen Tovsky
An enraged passenger on a United Airlines flight from Chicago O’Hare Airport to Newark Airport recently notified the Jewish civil rights group StopAntisemitism that a flight attendant was wearing a Palestine flag pin below her name tag, and a keffiyeh, a traditional Arabic headdress.
According to the NY Post, StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez said, “StopAntisemitism is alarmed by the rising trend of US airline employees displaying Palestinian flags and keffiyehs while on duty. There are no flights to Palestine. Political stances belong off the clock. Airlines must ensure that passengers aren’t confronted with divisive symbols in what should be a neutral space.”
StopAntisemitism is calling on all airlines to prohibit such symbols, but United won’t comply. According to the NY Post, the airline said in a statement, “Our uniform policy has long included an option for flight attendants to wear flag pins to designate specific language skills so that our customers who are more comfortable in a language other than English can know who on our crew speaks their preferred language. We also allow flight attendants to wear flag pins that represent their pride in a place to which they may have a special connection.”
United isn’t the only airline with a pin problem. Recently, someone snapped a picture of two Delta flight attendants wearing Palestinian flag pins, and posted it on X, causing a controversy. Due to the photo and StopAntisemitism, Delta decided to change its uniform policy. As of July 15, flight attendants are only allowed to wear US flag pins.
However, according to Business Insider, Delta’s policy change prompted an outcry from the Delta Association of Flight Attendants — a group that has been campaigning for union representation since 2019. It launched a petition calling for a public apology and a reversal of the policy change. In a video, one Delta flight attendant said: “For decades, flight attendants industry wide have worn flag pins as a symbol of our role connecting the world and connecting different cultures. This policy removes our right to express ourselves and does nothing to face the real problem, harassment.”
Delta told employees that its current pin policy prohibits advocating for positions or causes other than those sponsored by Delta. Adding, “Throughout the world, nationality/country flags are increasingly leading to confusion about whether they represent advocacy for – or against – positions or causes.” .
