Marine Corps veteran Catherine Banks was pulled off a flight from San Francisco on Wednesday when a flight attendant demanded she remove her shirt calling attention to veteran suicide. There were two problems for Banks: the message was important to her, and she didn’t have a bra on underneath.
The shirt read, “Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide,” and is part of the “22 a Day” collection from the Til Valhalla Project dedicated to raising awareness about the estimated 22 veterans who die by suicide each day. The flight attendant insisted that the shirt violated Delta’s attire policy.
As Banks was settling into her Comfort+ seat, the crewmember approached her, saying, “Ma’am, ma’am.” Initially confused, Banks realized she was the one being addressed when the attendant instructed her to get off the plane. Unclear about what she had done wrong, Banks complied and exited the aircraft, where she was told on the jet bridge that her shirt’s message was the issue. The complaining crewmember declared,
The woman agreed. Without bra, she turned around on the jet bridge, shielding herself from view, and replaced the T-shirt with a sweatshirt before reboarding the plane.
However she found the extra legroom seat she’d paid a premium for had been given away to another passenger and she was reassigned to a seat at the back of the plane. The incident delayed the flight, and she missed her connection. This isn’t the first time this year Delta has threatened to kick off a braless woman from its flights.
Usually airline dress code issues stem from a conflict of expectations between passengers and staff, with the passengers just trying to live their life as they normally do, staff trying to enforce vague guidance, and people about to cram into a metal tube for hours at a time that come from different backgrounds and who have different expectations. A couple of years ago a former Miss Universe was told by American Airlines to cover up to fly. She was in athleisure wear less revealing than what other passengers had on.
The right has normalized vilifying our veterans and service members. So it makes sense that people will act out in a simliar manner in day-to-day interactions such as what happened here.
Whether it’s disgracing our veterans, calling them suckers and losers, or diminishing their service-inflicted health concerns by referring to them as headaches, this is normal behavior by the right in 2024, and we should expect more of this to continue so long as the right seems to condone it and not speak up against their figureheads who do it.
While I don’t care for the FA’s handling of the situation, it’s easy to understand where they’re coming from. Delta makes significantly more investment to right-leaning candidates, and the FA likely lives in a batteground state where right-wing anti-military rhetoric is common and accepted.
Readers who are upset about Delta’s handling of this should lash out at the right-wing leaders who normalized this sort of behavior in the first place. But as a right-wing travel blog that caters largely to radicalized readers, that’s not likely to happen.
There may or may not be more to the story. Until I hear more I will not fly Delta – nor allow anyone I travel with – to book Delta. If even half of the people saying they wont fly Delta again follow through, this incident will haunt Delta for years to come.
@uncle jeff – how does the right vilify our service members? Since when is anti-military rhetoric right wing? Did you put your socks on backwards and confuse left with right?
Ya know flight attendants used to be nice and helpful………… BUT NOW they can have you kicked off an airplane for something THEY don’t agree with. In my opinion they are now no more than under paid bitches.
@Randy I literally used phrases and examples from Republican leaders. Wake up and watch what they’re doing.
@randy – Uncle Jeff is right. The god of the fascists, Donald Trump, has repeatedly attacked the service of decorated veterans like John McCain and Tim Walz, while touting his bone spur bribe as “smart thinking.” His supporters and sycophants have lapped that up, and that clearly follows at extremist anti union Delta and it’s red state crews. They also constantly cut access to mental health care, both for veterans and the general public, exacerbating the very real problem of veteran and active service member suicide. Shame on Delta for allowing this, especially when I’m sure they’re happy to see MAGA hats on board.
Hey Delta. If your employee CAN’T understand verbiage on a T-shirt, CAN be disrespectful to your Customers upon contact, CAN be disgustingly disrespectful to a long time Veteran ( Even after being told she’s a Veteran ) Can tell a female that she HAS TO take off that shirt before getting back on the plane, and then take her premium seat away from her, its time to release this idiot, revise your employee handling of these types of policy enforcements, and create a checks and balances on your flights. I suggest the Captain or head Fligh Attendant have final say on enforcement on these issues. I’m going to follow this incident. Until there’s a complete and reasonable disposition towards Veteran Banks I will not book another flight with Delta.
This is awful. Was the flight attendant so dumb she didn’t realize the shirt was about preventing suicides? This is somehow offensive to anyone? I understand there are bad passengers and they need to be dealt with. But there are far too many incidents of flight attendants being wrong, and they need to be put in their place by their employers. And if they’re going to start enforcing dress codes they need to say at ticketing exactly what those are, and enforce them for everyone equally. (I notice most of these complaints are against women while the man with no shoes and baggy shorts with privates showing are allowed.)
Everytime I hear something like this my first thought is I’m only hearing a part of the story. It makes me wondervwhy all FAs I have contact with are reasonable folks who at worst are a little lazy.
It’s sad that the Delta Flight Attendant does not realize the reason she has the freedom to be in the position she serves is because veterans are the people who have made the sacrifice for her freedom. To have her tell the Marine veteran that she did not care about her service to this country is the ultimate insult.
I have been a longtime fan of Delta, but that is no more. I have supported the Valhalla Project to end Veterans suicide for years and I proudly wear their tees at least once a week! The audacity to speak to a veteran this way, or any customer. Delta has become an unacceptable company that hires unacceptable employees now. No more Delta for me.
Was the Delta flight attendant able to walk down the aisle without having to turn sideways? Was she popping the buttons on her screaming pants?
Disgusting way to treat a veteran. Delta should be ashamed of themselves.
It was because she was braless, obviously. Still seems rather silly, but many men cannot behave acceptably around semi-visible breasts.
The shirt wasn’t offensive, but Uncle Jeff is.
I applaud wearing a shirt that says End Veteran Suicide.
Delta needs to look into this situation. As a Delta platinum member for over 30years I am deeply troubled by this situation and the lack of empathy for our veterans.
Extremely poor form, worthy of a major sanction against the airline. And just for the record- go f$%k yourself with the remark about the right vilifying veterans. You are a fool to suggest such, and diminish any value to your lengthy post. Silence yourself until your thoughts are coherent.
The idea that the Right is anti vet is projection at its finest.
I know it. You know it. We all know it. A woke snowflake hard left Democrat who weaponized his (pathetic) soy boy ‘power’ against a female member of the armed services who volunteers to prevent veteran suicide. This is beyond despicable.
The right is anti veteran? OMG someone is incredibly delusional.
Or a moron.
I ‘m not sure.
FWIW I am a veteran.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought—the most essential qualities of liberty.
Dump Tr…, and Vote. We all know the true value of a person who has served this country while people who disrespect them sleep soundly in thier beds and wake up refreshed to spew more poison toward America’s warriors. This is our time to change the narrative.
Those who are attacking the people pointing out how the right has vilified veterans, are you simply covering your eyes and ears whenever your Dear Leader speaks? It does my head in how you let things slide as long as it was said by someone with an R next to their name.
Obviously the flight attendant was thinking of the optics of her stupid request or even Delta’s position on supporting veterans, active duty and their families. They are even a huge military charter and CRAFT carrier. Delta should give the FA a permanent time out and will need to make a seven figure donation. The #1 and Captain also need to chip in for going along with this and the AFA should pony up if she’s a member.
The question for large companies in our newer softer style management world how do we keep employees in line with corporate values while on the job and representing our companies. At the same time we’re espousing being genuine and asking employees to use their brains at work. We’re all in trouble.
Uncle Jeff is wrong. The only people that regularly vilify military members and veterans are the left-wing pansies.
@ cairns — Maybe they were just talking about the “right’s” treasonist leader, who might as well have spit on the graves of soldiers. The guy is a piece of human garbage.
@Uncle Jeff — Are you an idiot or just acting like one?
Wouldn’t the story be a little less dramatic if she would simply put her sweatshirt on over the tshirt? I just don’t understand the necessity of the undressing.
Funny how self-proclaimed conservatives will decry the right being called anti-veteran, but not decry Tangerine Palpatine for saying anti-veteran things. The idolatry is palpable
If true, and I don’t see why it wouldn’t be, the FA should be fired and the captain and purser disciplined.
The comments about the Right are some seriously delusional nonsense
I would like to know what is offensive about preventing veterans’ suicides, and why this Delta FA has a unilateral right to kick a paying premium passenger off a flight for such a message. Something seriously wrong with Delta procedures and attitudes, it appears.
Uncle Jeff is wrong. The right loves the military and America. Dont know where he got his info from but I live in a heavy right area and they all support the military
LMAO, already full of BS!! An FA does not remove passengers a CA or CRO does also she said the FA got on the Jetbridge with her… LIE an FA cannot legally step off a plane when PAXS are on board it is a fine per the FAA.
Interesting…my comments were deleted…and they were polite but obviously didn’t meet the criteria of the article’s author! But then again, the First Amendment only apples to the governments.
appalling, I really want to see Delta’s explanation here.
I think most Republicans value veterans. However, Trump most certainly does not. To him, veterans are “losers and suckers.” From the publication, Military Times:
Trump publicly blasted McCain, saying “He’s not a war hero.” He added, “I like people who weren’t captured.”
Trump on Memorial Day 2017 had gone with his chief of staff, John Kelly, to visit the Arlington Cemetery gravesite of Kelly’s son, Robert, who was killed in 2010 in Afghanistan, and said to Kelly: “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
Trump also referred to former President George H.W. Bush as a “loser” because he was shot down by the Japanese as a Navy pilot in World War II.
And there’s many many more.
I haven’t flown Delta in a long time but now I just won’t.
Disabled Vet with PTSD from harassing, aggressive belligerent people in positions of authority. Don’t need it from civilians too!
It wasn’t the left that called Veterans suckers and losers it was trump. It was trump who said Senator John McCain wasn’t a hero.
This isn’t about politics! It’s about one of our veterans being treated so badly! What is Delta going to do about this? The flight attendant is in the wrong job and Delta deserves to go out of business if this is how they treat their customers. I certainly won’t fly Delta ever again!
F Delta
F this flight attendant (why not name her?!)
Flight Attendants making decisions to remove non-violent or abusive passengers is too prone to “personal” interpretation of what is threatening, in this case it seems that the flight attendant should just go over the flight safety and stand down.
Translation: “DELTA SUPPORTS VETERAN SUICIDE”
I see a lot of conflicting comments about how the right treats veterans. The problem here is that you are lumping all of them together. The veteran who fought well and either was not harmed or recovered from their injuries are considered good. But the ones that have lasting injuries are seen as failures.
And I will also say there are a lot of people whose idea of “solving” a problem is removing any mention of it. If they don’t see it it doesn’t exist. Thus any indication of an unsolved problem is objectionable.