Delta Pilot Threatened To Remove Black Passenger From A Flight Over Her Profane Hat And 'Vulgar Language'
A resurfaced video has the internet torn.
In 2020, a video was taken of a Delta pilot approaching a Black female passenger, demanding she take off her hat before the flight takes off. The hat had the word "F***" written on it.
This @delta captain berated an adult Black woman for wearing a hat with “fuck” on it. And did so without a mask! I’m sure that’s against Delta policy right? Everyone else is wearing a mask. The white privilege, gross abuse of power, and normalcy of it all 🙄 #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/afuQJ3vGfP
— 🪷 Madam Auntie VP Kamala Harris for PRESIDENT! (@flywithkamala) October 25, 2020
The video showed the passenger asking where dress-code related rules were posted when the pilot replied, "I'm the captain of the airplane; that's where it's posted. Delta has guidelines and I don't have to explain them to you. You can take it off, or you can leave the airplane. It is inappropriate, and I'm not gonna take vulgar language on the flight."
RELATED: Delta Investigated After Hundreds Of Flights Were Scrapped For Fifth Day Straight Leaving Passengers Stranded After Microsoft Outage
Although the unnamed woman removed her baseball hat, the interaction did not stop there. "The hat is off. There's nothing to tell you," she said. "The hat is right here in my lap."
The pilot replied, "Tell me it's off for the entire flight. I got six kids, I raised ten kids. I know better." The passenger answered, "I'm not a child, sir. The hat is in my lap."
Eventually, the pilot said, "OK, I said enough. You wouldn't give me your word."
Some viewers did not understand the woman's choice of attire to begin with. One commenter penned, "Who wears a hat like that on a plane?" Others have rallied to the defense of the passenger, criticizing the captain's needless aggression. "She said OK that should have been it. This captain is on a power trip."
RELATED: Nelons Tragedy: Haunting Final Video Before Plane Crash That Killed 3 Of Gospel Family Band's 4 Members
Despite online discourse, the airline supported their pilot. Delta's policy states that although they do not have a formal dress code for passengers, one may be removed from the flight "when the passenger's conduct, attire, hygiene, or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers."
A Delta spokesperson told 'The Independent' in a statement in October 2020: "There's nothing more important than creating a safe environment onboard Delta planes and in our facilities. That's why we prohibit displaying profane or derogatory words or images, and our expectation is for customers and our people to treat each other with dignity and respect, always."
"Our Captain's interaction with this customer reflects multiple layers of escalation to resolve the concerns with offensive language on a hat worn by the customer," the statement added. "Delta does not condone discrimination in any form."
