Last week, a Marine Corps veteran named Catherine Banks faced a shocking incident when a Delta Air Lines flight attendant forced her to deplane at San Francisco International Airport. The reason? The flight attendant found Banks’ shirt to be “threatening.”
Banks, who had just settled into her seat, was approached by a male flight attendant who asked her to leave the plane. Confused, Banks complied and only learned the reason when she reached the jet bridge.
To her disbelief, the flight attendant claimed that her shirt, which read “Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide,” was a threat. Banks, who had served in the Marine Corps for 22 years and worked for the Air Force for 15 years, explained that she was visiting her Marine sister and that she should be allowed to support herself and other veterans. However, the flight attendant dismissed her service and stated that she would only be allowed back on the plane if she removed the shirt immediately.
Feeling violated and helpless, Banks had no choice but to change her shirt in front of the flight attendant. Due to the lack of a bra, she had to turn her back while changing. She expressed her deep distress, feeling as though her soul had been taken away.
After the incident, Banks was eventually allowed to reboard the plane. However, she was not given her original extra legroom seat. Instead, she was forced to sit in the back, causing a delay and subsequently missing her connecting flight.
Delta Air Lines later reached out to Banks to rectify the situation, and the airline’s spokesperson stated that the matter had been resolved. Delta’s Contract of Carriage permits the removal of passengers if their conduct, attire, hygiene, or odor poses an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers.
As for Banks, she remains bewildered by the incident. How can a shirt bringing attention to veteran suicide be considered “threatening”? This was a clear oversight on Delta’s part and an unjust treatment of a veteran.
