Calls for Delta Airlines boycott over 'racist, anti-Palestinian' X post

Delta Airlines has come under fire after its official X account posted a tweet which appeared to agree with an anti-Palestinian post against an employee wearing a Palestinian flag badge.

The original post, from X account @iliketeslas, shared an image of two Delta cabin crew members wearing Palestinian flag pin with the caption: "Since 2001 we take our shoes off in every airport because of a terrorist attack in US soil. Now imagine getting into a @Delta flight and seeing workers with Hamas badges in the air. What do you do?"

It is unclear whether the post was equating the Palestinian flag with the Hamas group, or whether the user had mistaken Delta's red arrow logo for the red triangle symbol widely used by Hamas in their videos.

The images of the airline staff appear to have gained traction among Israel supporters after pro-Israel account 'StopAntisemitism' shared the images on 6 July. The account also shared images of one of the flight attendants' personal Instagram page.

In a now-deleted post on Wednesday, Delta's official X account responded.

"I hear you as I'd be terrified as well, personally. Our employees reflect our culture and we do not take it lightly when our policy is not being followed," the post read.

Despite being deleted, a screenshot of the post was shared widely on X, with users calling for a boycott of the airline.

"These airlines won’t learn until you stop giving them business @Delta  #BoycottDelta," wrote prominent Palestinian-American imam Omar Suleiman, using a hashtag that was widely shared on X.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also weighed in, demanding an apology from the airline.

"Whether this racist post on Delta's X account was approved or unauthorized, Delta must apologize and take steps to educate its employees about this type of dangerous anti-Palestinian racism. Bigotry against Palestinian-Americans is absolutely out of control in workplaces and at schools – and it must stop." 

A spokesperson for Delta acknowledged the post in a statement to The New Arab, describing it as an "error".

“Delta removed a mistakenly posted comment on X Tuesday because it was not in line with our values and our mission to connect the world. The team member responsible for the post has been counseled and no longer supports Delta’s social channels. We apologize for this error.”