Delta Airlines bans passenger for life after pro-Donald Trump rant

The CEO addressed the belligerent passenger on Monday

(Eric Salard/Flickr)

Delta Airlines has banned a passenger for life after he went on an explicit pro-Donald Trump and anti-Hillary Clinton rant on his flight from Atlanta to Allentown, Pennsylvania.

“The individual displayed behavior that was loud, rude and disrespectful to his fellow customers,” Delta Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said in a message to employees on Monday. “He will never again be allowed on a Delta plane.”

The airline’s statement follows widespread criticism on social media over the company’s lack of discipline for the passenger after footage of the incident surfaced online. Social media users pointed out that the man, who is white, was not ejected from the flight but passengers who are Sikh, Muslim, African-American, and other ethnicities have been kicked out of flights due to safety concerns following complaints from passengers and staff.

In a video posted on Facebook last Tuesday, the passenger in question is shown yelling at fellow passengers on Flight 248. “Donald Trump, baby,” he yelled while standing up and clapping his hands. “We got some Hillary b*tches on here? Come on, baby. Trump!”

The video, posted by a user named Emma Baum, has generated more than 2,360,000 views on Facebook. She told The Morning Call that she noticed the man shouting pro-Trump slogans in the middle of the terminal while she was waiting to board her flight. She said she had been out of the country and when she asked about the election, he started jumping out of his seat. “Donald Trump”, he yelled. “It’s your president. Every goddamn one of you. If you don’t like it, too bad.”

“I also want to make sure all of you know we have your backs,” Mr Bastian continued in the memo. “The heightened tension in our society means that now more than ever we must require civility on our planes and in our facilities. We must stay true to Delta’s core values and treat one another with dignity and respect. We also must remain committed more than ever to the safety of our customers and our crew members. We will not tolerate anything less.”