Mon, Jun 27, 2011
Concerns Raised That Jews Might Be Denied Boarding To Some
Destinations
A Delta Airlines plan to enter into a codeshare agreement with
Saudi Arabian Airlines has drawn fire from the American Center for
Law and Justice. The organization says the agreement could lead to
the banning of Jews and others holding Israeli passports from
boarding Delta flights to certain destinations, such as Jeddah.
Former Congressman Fred Gandy and his wife Catherine have also
gotten involved in the issue through appearances on the Jeff Katz
radio program. Catherine Gandy calls the move, and other like it,
"Creeping Shariah," or Islamic law.
The online publication World Net Daily reports that
Washington attorney Jeffery Lovitky wrote to Delta CEO Richard
Anderson concerning the issue, which he came across while making
travel plans. He received a response from Delta's "Customer Care"
division, which told the lawyer that Delta "must comply with all
applicable laws in every country it serves," and places the burden
of obtaining proper travel documents on the passenger. Customer
service representative Kathy Johnston said in the letter she wrote
to Lovitky that Delta could be fined and passengers could be denied
entry without that documentation, and that Delta "assumes
responsibility" for assuring that all passengers have the proper
papers. She recommends that Lovitky take up the matter with the
state department.
Lovitky contends that Delta may not discriminate on U.S. soil
based on religious preference. He said the government is already
looking into how it should address the Saudi government's policy of
not issuing visas for Israeli passport holders, Jews, or "those who
can't abide by the Saudi traditions concerning appearance and
behaviours."
In a second letter to Lovitky, Delta said it considered the
matter closed, and would not be responding to the matter again. It
hopes to have Saudi Arabian Airlines as a Skyteam member by next
year.
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