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Booted From Airplane For Wearing Anti-TSA T-shirt
Cigarra writes "PhD student Arijit learned the hard way that in Brave New America you can't mock TSA's Security Theater and go on about your business. According to a recollection in RT.com: 'After being vigorously screened and questioned multiple times, Arijit says he was finally given permission, once more, to board his plane. The pilot of the aircraft, however, had had enough of the whole ordeal and asked the Delta supervisor to relay the message that, due to the discomfort the shirt had caused, neither Arijit nor his wife would be allowed to board the aircraft.' Just how much humiliation is the general American public willing to tolerate in the name of 'security'?"
No, never fly Delta Airlines.
Im going to post Anonymously because frankly, I dont feel like having some asshole come after me for this story. I used to work for a website that sold airline tickets, and I was a phone monkey who would take calls for bookings or complaints or whatever. This was about 8 months after 9/11 and lots of garbage was going on because white people are annoying.
Basically an older man calls in, in tears. After spending a few minutes to calm the poor guy down it comes out that his son was on a Delta flight by himself (16, maybe 17 years old) and got bumped because some idiot felt "threatened" by his presence on the plane. See, he was from the middle east and clearly they were all out to kill us. So delta bumps this kid and left him in the airport. Last flight of the night, has no money, and they give him a food voucher for a resturant that was already closed. Too young to legally rent a Hotel, no means to get home till the next morning, hadn't eaten all day because he was expecting to get home in time for dinner. Frankly, not that smart to do so without cash, but that doesn't excuse Delta.
Anyway, after begging on the phone with Delta for like 2 hours I gave up and called South West, who put him on a flight they had going out that night, no cost to the kid. This wasn't the only instance I've had with Delta Airlines and racist, bullshit policy about "discomfort" and the above story reminds me strongly of it. DO NOT FLY DELTA AIRLINES UNLESS YOU'RE WHITE AND/OR RICH. If you are, I still dont recommend it.
Seeing as all airlines are private they are in a special situation where they should not be allowed to act arbitrarily. We aren't talking about someone wandering into your private business here. As long as you provide a vital public service you should be beholden to the Constitution. If this is unacceptable then the airlines should be nationalized.