Franklin Sands Blasts Delta Air’s New “No Jew Fly Policy”

The following news release is from the Florida House Democratic Office:

TO INTERESTED MEDIA:

State Representative Franklin Sands, D-Weston, issued the following statement regarding news reports concerning Delta Air Lines’ “no-Jew fly policy” under plans to add Saudi Arabian Airlines to its business partnerships:

“As has been widely reported, Delta Air Lines has announced that it will team up with Saudi Arabian Airlines, the first Middle Eastern airline to officially join Delta’s SkyTeam Alliance. SkyTeam is the world’s second-largest airline alliance consisting of 14 members, including Delta Air Lines. This week, it became clear that Delta Air Lines’ membership in SkyTeam carries with it significant issues of corporate morality and racism.

“Saudi Arabian Airlines, which is scheduled to join the Alliance in 2012, apparently will not allow anyone who has visited Israel and whose passport is stamped accordingly to fly Saudi Airlines or enter Saudi Arabia. That includes both Jews and Christians. This now begs the question as to whether a United States citizen with an Israeli stamp on their passport will be allowed to board a Delta flight and fly to Saudi Arabia.

“As Americans, we preach and practice religious tolerance. The founding of our country was based on religious tolerance and freedom of religion. Therefore, I find it morally reprehensible that an otherwise outstanding American company would be a party by association to racism and religious intolerance just to make a buck.

“I call upon Delta’s senior management and Board of Directors to convene a meeting and revisit this giant corporate misstep.

“And while it may or may not necessarily be illegal, as a Delta frequent flyer and a state legislator, I am saddened, by both the actions and then the refusal by Delta Airlines, to own up to their complicity in this blatant form of racism. Delta’s corporate moral compass is obviously broken and in need of immediate repair.”

Representative Sands serves Florida House District 98 in Broward County. His district office number is 954-424-6800.

 

 



9 Responses to “Franklin Sands Blasts Delta Air’s New “No Jew Fly Policy””

  1. Floridan says:

    Jews can and have visited Saudi Arabia. However, the Saudi policy is that they will not allow entry to people transiting through (or having had their passport stamped) in Israel.

    What would be the point of Delta flying someone to a country that won’t accept them?

    I don’t endorse the Saudi policy, but many countries, including our own, have goofy travel rules (e.g. U.S. policy on travel to Cuba).

  2. DeeDee says:

    Sands is kissing up to the Jewish voters.

  3. questions says:

    Paul newmans half jewish; goldie hawns half too…can they fly?

    So William Schatner can sell the trips on Priceline but cant go himself?

    While O.j. simpson is not a jew!
    Guess who is…hall of famer Rod Carew–(he converted!) Can Carew fly?

    Harrison Ford is a quarter jewish–not too shabby,could they really ban Indiana Jones?

    Seriously I know my questions are dumb, but hey no more dumb than a nothing state legislator grandstanding. I guess Sands had to do something to keep his Step Son Alex Heckler off the front page here.

  4. Floridan says:

    @questions – Paul Newman doesn’t need an airline ticket to fly. He has his own wings.

  5. TamaracTalk says:

    @Floridian. Beautiful!

  6. JD says:

    If it was a no Christian fly rule the rest of you would be up in arms. It is wrong and clearly discriminatory. DeeDee call it what you will but it is wrong. He has the gumption to say something. It is people like you that find the angle to say it is for his reasons. I did not hear other politicians step up.

  7. Nothing New says:

    this is nothing new . . . my Dad used to go over to the Middle East 60 years ago, and said you could not get to Beirut by way of Cyprus . . you had to go through Cairo . . .

  8. Oodles says:

    I think Mr. Sands has been had by a canard.

  9. Warren Meddoff says:

    Having traveled to Saudi Arabia, with an Israeli stamp in my passport, one wonders where Rep. Sands gets his info. Prior coordination with the Saudi Embassy and legitimate business was all that it took. While in Saudi Arabia, I have always been treated cordially and never had a problem as I respected local customs and laws. I also happen to be Jewish.