Orthodox Jewish Man Alleges Discrimination on Florida Delta Flight

By Matis Glenn

An Orthodox Jewish man flying on a Delta flight says that he was forced to leave the plane by a stewardess who expressed antisemitic remarks.

The passenger shared the details of the ordeal with Hamodia.

On Monday, the traveler, who is from New York but was away in Florida on a business trip together with his family, boarded the plane, Delta flight 1541, carrying a single suitcase and hat box. His attorneys say that the packages were well within Delta’s restrictions for carry-on luggage in size and weight.

Moments after taking his seat, the visibly Jewish man says that he was approached by a stewardess and another member of the flight crew, who told him “You people always have tons of luggage. Why can’t you put the hat box under your feet?”

Despite the hateful barbs hurled at him, the passenger replied that he would certainly store the hat box under his feet if the need would arise, but at present there was a lot of room in the overhead compartment.

Less than two minutes after leaving the traveler alone, the stewardess returned, and in a rage, seized the passenger’s suitcase from the overhead compartment and walked off with it. Surprised, the passenger told her that this was his personal property, and that he did not consent to it being moved. The passenger says that the stewardess replied “If you don’t let me, I will show you.”

Fifteen minutes later, security personnel escorted the passenger from the plane. After explaining his situation to the guards, they decided that the passenger was correct, and were ready to allow him to return to the plane. However, the passenger says that the stewardess threatened to leave the plane, which would have caused the flight to be cancelled. Instead, the airline offered the passenger a free night in a hotel and a $500 voucher.

The passenger says that his tale of discrimination was accepted by a Delta supervisor, who gave him her personal cell phone number. He recounts many Delta employees who were sympathetic to his situation.

The passenger’s lawyers say that their client has been unable to perform his business-related duties due to the stress of the incident, and that when the incident was published to social media, it caused harm to his reputation, with many people unfamiliar with the story voicing their opinions that he was in the wrong.

Delta says that they are investigating the situation. “Delta is aware of and in the preliminary stages of investigating a situation regarding a customer being asked to exit flight 1541 and be rebooked on an alternate flight,” a Delta spokesperson told Hamodia. “We are committed to using the results this investigation to come to a full understanding of the events that took place and respond as appropriate.”

The lawyers are asking for the assistance of anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward and share their testimony, including the man who took a video that has made its rounds on social media. Any such people can email the author at mglenn@hamodia.com.