Ed Bastian, Delta’s CEO shared an internal memo that he sent to Delta’s staff on November 28, in which he addressed the situation with the “disruptive passenger on Flight 248.” The memo assured Delta customers that this passenger would be permanently banned from Delta flights and offered refunds to customers onboard that flight.
“Our responsibility for ensuring all customers feel safe and comfortable with Delta includes requiring civil behavior from everyone,” the statement said. “The behavior we see in this video does not square with our training or culture and follow up will continue so we can better ensure our employees will know they will be fully supported to make the right decisions when these issues arise.”
Last week, when a Trump supporter yelled expletives on Delta flight 248 from Atlanta, Georgia to Allentown, Pa., Emma Baum decided to record the event and posted the video on Facebook.
“Donald Trump, baby,” the man yelled at other passengers on the plane, according to Baum’s video footage. “We got some Hillary b—-es on here? Come on, baby. Trump!”
“Donald Trump is your president, every goddamn one of you,” he continued. “If you don’t like it, too bad.”
The video went viral with over 2 million views on Facebook to date. The memo followed a formal apology, issued by Delta on November 26 for not removing the passenger from the flight.
“This individual displayed behavior that was loud, rude and disrespectful to his fellow customers. After questioning the customer, our team members made the best decision they could given the information they had and allowed him to remain on the flight,” he wrote, acknowledging their mistake and promising to respond more effectively in the future. “However, if our colleagues had witnessed firsthand what was shown in the video, there is no question they would have removed him from the aircraft.”
He also thanked the Delta employees for the “amazing job” they did during the busy Thanksgiving holiday and assured them that Delta had their backs.
“The heightened tension in our society means that now more than ever we must require civility on our planes and in our facilities,” Bastian’s memo stated. “We must stay true to Delta’s core values and treat one another with dignity and respect. We also must remain committed more than ever to the safety of our customers and our crew members. We will not tolerate anything less.”
