Passenger kicked off Delta Air Lines flight because of his Trump shirt

Flying today is not like the old days, in terms of how passengers behave and what they wear. When my parents went on their honeymoon in the 1950s, they got dressed up like they were going to a wedding and they were on their best behavior, as was everyone else. But after deregulation created competition, lowered airfares tremendously (which we’re all thankful for) and allowed for airlines to shrink their services and space, air travel has definitely changed.

This didn’t happen overnight but with the rise of smart phones and social media usage, every incident gets documented and shared to a wide audience.

Take, for instance, this video (embedded below), posted today on Reddit. It was shared with the caption: “Crazy day in Sarasota airport, I was sitting next to a young man before boarding that had on a Trump shirt with middle fingers and a red coat came over and told him some lady complained and he had to change his shirt or he could not get on the plane. He turned his shirt inside out, and we all boarded. Next thing I know, right before takeoff, a Delta employee comes on the plane and escorts him off the flight, he had flipped his shirt back to the decal side. IDK but I’ve seen way worse….girl half naked boarded and left alone.”

Dude kicked off flight bc of his Trump shirt!
byu/SKBeachGirl indelta

All airlines, including Delta, have a strict code of conduct, which they outline in their Contract of Carriage. Every passenger agrees to it when they purchase a ticket and Delta’s, under Rule 7, states:

“By way of example, and without limitation, Delta may refuse to transport or may remove passengers from its aircraft in any of the following situations:

1. When the passenger’s conduct is disorderly, abusive or violent, or the passenger appears to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs;

2. When the passenger is barefoot;

3. When the passenger interferes with the flight crew’s activities, or fails to obey the instruction of any member of the flight crew;

4. When the passenger has a contagious disease that may be transmissible to other passengers during the normal course of the flight;

5. When the passenger is unable to sit in a seat with the seatbelt fastened;

6. When the passenger’s behavior may be hazardous or creates a risk of harm to himself/herself, the crew, or other passengers or to the Carrier’s aircraft and/or property, or the property of other passengers;

7. When the passenger is seriously ill, unless the passenger provides a physician’s written permission to fly; or

8. When the passenger’s conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers.”

This passenger’s shirt would have fallen under number 8 and as someone pointed out in the comments:

Significant-Dance-43: I’m guessing, as others have said, it is a lot more about the vulgarity of the shirt – not the Trump aspect.

I agree that this was about profanity, not politics. I would have complained too if my young kids were flying with me. But, with a contentious election fast approaching, I’m sure this won’t be the last air travel incident involving politics we hear about.

There have been other incidents involving people wearing either political shirts like this one: American Airlines lost luggage employee delivered bags with a political message and this one, about a passenger who got kicked off an American Airlines flight for having inappropriate words written on her face mask.

What do you think? Should the passenger have been deplaned for his T-shirt? Drop a comment with your thoughts.

KEEP READING

–How to make sure the TSA Precheck checkmark is on your boarding pass
–Did you know your electronic devices should always be charged when going through security?
–10 airport security hacks every traveler needs to know
–Mom shares hilarious reason she’s not getting TSA Precheck anytime soon
–How to get a full bottle of water through airport security

Want more travel news, tips and deals? Sign up to Johnny Jet’s free newsletter and check out these popular posts: The Travel Gadget Flight Attendants Never Leave Home Without and 12 Ways to Save Money on Baggage Fees. Follow Johnny Jet on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for all of my travel posts.