I really believe this is one area where the airlines just can’t win…
United Airlines is not abandoning its flag pin policy
It goes without saying that the conflict between Israel and Palestine is controversial worldwide and the parties to the conflict have different points of view.
Personally, I feel terrible feelings for the unconscionable terrorist attack carried out against Israel on October 7, 2023, given the number of people killed and the number of hostages taken. I also feel terrible feelings for the number of innocent Palestinians who lost their lives in response to this attack, especially given that many of them are children.
To me, these views are not in conflict with each other. However, it is clear that this issue is incredibly divisive, with so many people only seeing one side of the tragedy.
In this sense, this controversy has also reached the airline industry. There have been dramatic reactions when frontline workers have carried flags in support of Palestine. In the past, many airlines have allowed their employees to wear pins with the flag of places that have important meaning for them.
Interestingly, several airlines have evolved their policies on flag pins. Delta, for example, has banned its employees from wearing flag pins to avoid potential controversy. United takes the opposite approach and still allows its employees to wear flags in support of Israel or Palestine.
This seems to result in a viral story almost every week, but the airline is not giving in. An airline spokesperson said:
“Our uniform policy has long included the option for flight attendants to wear flag pins to denote certain language skills, so our customers who feel more comfortable speaking a language other than English know who on our crew speaks their preferred language. We also allow flight attendants to wear flag pins that express their pride in a place they may have a special connection to.”
Is Delta or United’s approach correct?
I’ve always loved the idea of airline employees being able to wear pins with the flag on them. The airline industry is all about connecting people from all over the world and it’s nice to be able to wear a pin to express your roots, a language you speak, or whatever.
For decades, this wasn’t really controversial. I don’t think anyone would be offended by a flag from Spain, Brazil or Japan. But as you would expect, what was once a nice gesture has evolved into something that is now incredibly divisive.
As with everything in life, there are different ways to interpret something. When I see someone wearing a pin with the Israeli flag, I assume they are showing support for the October 7 hostages. When I see someone wearing a Palestinian flag, I assume they are showing support for the tens of thousands of people in Palestine who lost their lives, not for Hamas. But I also understand how and why others interpret these situations differently.
So what’s the right approach for airlines? Should they ban flag pins altogether (like Delta) or continue to allow their employees to express themselves (like United)? While I largely respect United’s approach, I think Delta is probably in the right in this case:
- Rightly or wrongly, there is no denying that carrying a Palestinian flag will upset many passengers
- Ultimately, airlines cannot protect their employees from the harassment of being photographed and shaming when they wear such a badge.
- As much as I am in favor of employees expressing their individual opinions, I think that line should probably not be drawn in a way that expresses a divisive opinion.
Ideally, that wouldn’t be the case. But the reality is that taking sides on the Israel vs. Palestine issue is about as contentious as taking sides on the Trump vs. Harris issue, and I don’t think any of us want flight attendants suddenly wearing political buttons. So I think the same should apply here.
Conclusion
United Airlines continues to allow its frontline employees to wear pins featuring the flag, including ones featuring Palestine. As expected, this often causes outrage, as passengers take photos of flight attendants wearing these pins and smear them (which is a violation of the company’s policy on employee photography). Delta responded to this controversy by banning pins featuring the flag altogether, while United maintains its policy.
What do you think is the right approach for airlines – is Delta or United handling the issue correctly?
