Delta Partnership May Cause Travel Headaches For Non-Muslims

UPDATE: SCROLL DOWN FOR RELIGION NEWS SERVICE EDITOR'S NOTE

Religion News Service issued a follow-up to this story on Friday (June 24).

By Michele Chabin
Religion News Service

JERUSALEM (RNS) Jews and Israelis, or passengers carrying any non-Islamic article of faith, will not be able to fly code-share flights from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia under Delta Air Line's new partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines that is set to begin in 2012.

Although Delta announced in January that the Saudi airline would join its SkyTeam network next year, the implications of the deal only came to light recently, according to people who have scrutinized the details.

Saudi Arabia, which is governed by strict Islamic law, requires citizens of almost every country to obtain a visa. People who wish to enter the country must have a sponsor; women, who must be dressed according to Saudi standards of modesty, must be met at the Saudi airport by a man who will act as a chaperone.

Saudi Arabia bans anyone with an Israeli stamp in their passport from entering the country, even in transit. Many Jews believe the kingdom has also withheld visas from travelers with Jewish-sounding names.

Religious items such as Bibles that are not related to Islam may be confiscated at the airport.

Colby M. May, senior counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative legal group founded by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, said his office is trying to determine if the agreement runs afoul of U.S. law.

"The very idea that there is a common carrier airline service that would deny an American citizen in America access to their services because they are Jewish or have religious items such as a yarmulke, a cross or a priestly collar, is deeply disturbing," May said.

May said he is "trying to get answers" from Delta.

"They have not responded in a way that answers the question," he said. "Hopefully they'll do so."

In a statement to Religion News Service on Thursday (June 23), Delta said it "does not discriminate, nor do we condone discrimination against any protected class of passenger in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, or gender."

The airline, which did not deny the new policy, insisted that it has no control over who may fly to Saudi Arabia.

"Delta must also comply with all applicable laws in every country it serves," adding that passengers are responsible for obtaining the necessary travel documents required for entry.

"If a passenger travels without proper documents, the passenger may be denied entry into that country and our airline may be fined," the statement said.

The Jan. 10 agreement allows Saudi Arabian Airlines to become a member of SkyTeam in 2012 after "fulfilling all membership requirements," according to a SkyTeam statement. The Saudi airline is SkyTeam's first member from the Middle East.

The policy has deeply angered U.S. Jewish groups, especially since Delta is an American carrier.

"Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, should be strongly condemned for its despicable discrimination against Jews," said Kenneth Bandler, a spokesman for the New York-based American Jewish Committee.

"For an American company, our nation's values should trump narrow business interests. Delta should be the first to reject Saudi airlines as a SkyTeam member."

Dan Diker, secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, said he hoped "Delta will not be complicit with what appears to be a demonstrably anti-Semitic and racist policy by Saudi Arabian Airlines."

Jack Jenkins contributed to this report.

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE EDITOR'S NOTE:

The RNS story on Delta Air Lines’ pending partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines that was distributed on June 23 contained incomplete information about Saudi visa policies and U.S. Jews’ ability to fly Delta flights to Saudi Arabia. The story was not fully edited according to RNS standards:

-While Saudi Arabia does not issue visas to citizens carrying Israeli passports, Saudi officials say an Israeli stamp in a U.S. passport is not a barrier to entry, even for a stop in transit.

-While Saudi Arabia does not allow non-Islamic religious articles within its borders, religious identity and a passenger’s religious articles are not barriers to flights on either Delta or Saudi Arabian Airlines flights.

-Airline alliance programs typically allow passengers on one airline to book tickets on another, or redeem frequent flyer points on partner airlines. On Friday, Delta said such “code-sharing” agreements will not be part of its alliance with Saudi Arabian Airlines, nor will Delta passengers be able to redeem Delta frequent flyer miles on the Saudi airline.

RNS takes very seriously its commitment to accuracy, balance and thorough reporting, and the June 23 story failed to meet those expectations. Steps are being taken to correct and improve our internal editing process. We regret that the story was transmitted with incomplete information, as well as any unintended implication that Delta would be adopting policies of the Saudi government.

Comments

[Eternalwisdom]

04:49 PM on 07/21/2011

If you want to understand why the article is sensationalized and misleading, take a close look at who authored it. In summation, there is no substance or merit whatsoever.

Any government or body who's principals are based upon theocratic law will inevitably be biased, be it Saudi Arabia, Iran or Israel. The reason one of the cornerstone principals of our constitution is separation of church and state speaks for itself. All religions indoctrinate their followers with the same ideal or concept; you are one of the chosen few and as god's people you are above others.

The issue can be debated until the end of mankind but the result will be the same, biased beliefs and viewpoints.

[Charles Shackelford]

12:00 PM on 07/01/2011

The story is a bit confusing given the editorial correction. If the accusations are true, our nation's relationship with our "ally" Saudi Arabia should definitely be reconsidered but they are not the only nation with travel restrictions and many Muslim people are discriminated against, and our special "ally" Israel is certainly engaged in similar actions. People and nations have the right to establish their own rules and laws but it does not mean that we as a nation of consumers should always look the other way while engaging in commerce with such nations and although Delta is a stellar airline, if boycotted perhaps they might get the message. From the W. hand holding at his fake ranch with Saudi royals, his post 9/11 actions allowing members of the bin Laden family to fly out of Lexington Ky. in a chartered Saudi Arabian airliner when transplant patients could not receive organs because of the flight ban to the images of women being stoned to death and beheaded for supposed sexual crimes there is much not to love about Saudi Arabia. The sad reality is that our society is so addicted to oil for our energy needs that our government and corporations are willing to enter into many questionable and objectionable relationships with nations or companies which will support our habit. All the more reason for our nation to develop alternative energy resources and find ways to ramp down our use of oil.

[tagtron]

03:29 PM on 06/30/2011

I'm sure none of these restrictions will apply to the US corporate mouthpieces that fly to Saudi Arabia to cut deals with the Royal Family

[Reese McKay]

11:03 PM on 06/28/2011

Huffpost should completely rewrite this story or take it down with an apology for inaccurate and misleading information. The "correction" added at the end of the article completely nullifies all of the inflammatory points written in the original article. It is essentially a non-story.

[davidrschulman]

03:22 PM on 06/28/2011

Delta Responded to me with the following statement:

please know Delta does not operate service to Saudi Arabia
and does not codeshare with any airline on flights to that country.
Delta does not intend to codeshare or share reciprocal benefits, such as
frequent flier benefits, with Saudi Arabian Airlines, which we have
confirmed with SkyTeam, an Amsterdam-based 14-member global airline
alliance.

Delta’s only agreement with Saudi Arabian Airlines is a standard
industry interline agreement, which allows passengers to book tickets on
multiple carriers, similar to the standard interline agreements American
Airlines, US Airways and Alaska Airlines have with Saudi Arabian
Airlines. All of the three global airline alliances – Star, which
includes United Airlines; oneworld, which includes American Airlines,
and SkyTeam, which includes Delta – have members that fly to Saudi
Arabia and are subject to that country’s rules governing entry.

We appreciate the time you have taken to share this feedback.

Sincerely,

Shawn M. Parker
Coordinator, Customer Care
Delta Air Lines

[davidrschulman]

03:20 PM on 06/28/2011

I sent the following Email to Delta Airlines:

As an American, I don't understand why an American company like Delta Airlines, would align their business practice with what some might call "Discrimination”.

For Delta Airlines to consider the idea that religion or a religious article is a requirement to fly or not to fly to a location, is against my interpretation of a document called the “Constitution of the United States of America” and is also against my principals as a human trying to co-exist on a planet made of many different cultures, religions and ethnicities.

Therefore, since I, as part of the American public have options on air carries, I will choose an air carrier that will more closely align their business practice with what I will refer to as “Understanding the world we live in” and no longer consider Delta Airlines. I am not interested in the views of a country (Saudi Arabia) or an Air Carrier (Delta) that might restrict access or privilege based on religion, race or ethnic background. It is un-American and inconsiderate.

[logicdog]

10:04 PM on 06/27/2011

This is very, very poor reporting. If you note the "Update" at the beginning of the article, it directs you to a section at the end of the article, with CORRECTED facts, which completely guts most of the "shock" assertions of the main article. Now, wouldn't it have been better to take the update, and then re-write the original article to eliminate the erroneous "poorly-reported" information, instead of leaving the diatribe the way it is?

This really descends to the level of fauxNews. Congrats, HuffPost. . .

[Reese McKay]

11:28 PM on 06/28/2011

You are absolutely right. The editors essentially nullified this entire story. It was a complete smear job on Delta Airlines, which did not do a single thing which it was accused of doing. The "correction" should be put at the top of the article and the headline should be changed to an apology for publishing an entirely false story.

[NancyY]

08:38 PM on 06/27/2011

I think Saudi Arabia is getting nervous. From what I have read, they are having to use fracturation methods to extract the oil from their reserves. This typically is not done unless the reserves are starting to run dry. This latest nonsense appears to be an attempt to assert themselves as "boss" when they know they won't be "boss" that much longer.

[Barb Keryan]

02:41 PM on 06/27/2011

My Middle East wishlist will remain just that.

[norkas]

09:19 AM on 06/27/2011

Religious teachers throughout history have seeded the world with hate at times and in Saudi Arabia it is no different today.

The spiritual values of religion are seldom taught in truth and demented teachers that are human and want power and have an EGO that is so overgrown they cause havoc and disdain for others who do not believe a they do.

Saudi Arabia will not change now although many of the most powerful would like to see more moderation but what they are afraid of is the religious teachers.

Delta has a chance to back off of their decision or to make sure that NO Israeli or Jew will suffer the indignity that is both appalling and barbaric.

[Vilmosz Vilder]

01:53 PM on 06/27/2011

Oh, gosh, Lydda. You're so cute. Come here and let me teach you how to read. There are not two sets of rules regarding travel in and out of Israel for anyone. The travel proviso refers to the West Bank, and the State Department does not say that there are two sets of rules for travel in and out of Israel. What the State Department is saying is that to enter the WEST BANK (i.e., NOT ISRAEL -- West Bank is governed by the PA) you have to go via Jordan. That is not two sets of rules as it applies to ANYONE wishing to enter the West Bank without permission from the Israeli consulate. The reasoning is not discrimination, it's the ongoing border dispute between the two entities. Well, at least you don't hide your hatred of Jews by pretending to be opposed only to Zionists -- you refer to "Jews" throughout your post. Way to go.

[Json]

04:31 PM on 06/27/2011

I did a search for "American Travel warnings to Israel" on google and only one hit came up...a link to this comment.
If you have a link that actually proves your point, put it up.

[johnzhills]

07:07 PM on 06/26/2011

Can we spell "Boycott Delta"? If Delta is more concerned about their Muslim customers and customs, let's see if the Muslim community alone can support Delta.

[Trevor Lahey]

06:25 PM on 06/26/2011

Can't be a multiculturalist in Riyadh...and yet the pc police try to brainwash us that all cultures are equal.

[Patrick8596]

06:15 PM on 06/26/2011

Title is misleading... It will lead to headaches for Jews, which is what these rules are designed to target and is perfectly understandable in the current climate in world politics... there really won't be much of a problem for Christians.

[Json]

09:13 AM on 06/27/2011

So as long as it is just the jews that are targeted, you are fine with that?

[Vlady]

12:32 PM on 06/27/2011

>>Title is misleading

Agree. It must have said: "F You ALL - Profit's our Soul"

[woodland 86]

06:03 PM on 06/26/2011

This is horrifying. I thought we ended this nazi propaganda with the end of WW2. Keep in mind that Saudi Arabia is one of the leading Muslim country. What's next in SA airlines, giving "special" arm bands to all non-Muslim passengers?

[fenerli]

06:32 PM on 06/26/2011

Clearly you have never been a muslim flying anywhere in the world, i had a friend who flew with his american passport to Jerusalem to vist the holy sites only to be detained for 8 hours...he was 18 at the time. I was born in the states but because I have a muslim sounding name i have always been stopped in security my bags have always been stopped at immigration. I think what might be the missing piece for most of my uninformed colleagues on this site is that most of the arab world is still technically either at war or have a cease fire treaty. The scars of brutal occupation in Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories is still ongoing(except for lebanon which ended about 15 years ago) or fresh in everyones mind. So before you go through the "this is such a terrible injustice" speech keep in mind that for the past 10 years I and pretty much anyone with a muslim sounding last name have been already had to deal with this from OUR OWN COUNTRY. Welcome to the party. And for those of you who blame DELTA for any of this are either extremly misinformed or plain idiotic.
Thanks

[Anrojoal]

06:16 PM on 06/27/2011

Unfortunately reasonable muslims have not risen up against those who would bring harm to others. Being that so many muslims are ready to die and kill I believe that we should add more racial profiling. I never had any anger towards the religion of Islam and liked people of all backgrounds. However after 9/11 and repeated efforts by Islamic extremists to kill the innocent (including other muslims), you can be sure I have developed concern about muslims as a whole. Muslims don't allow non muslims to visit certain areas or display non Islamic religious items....and we are supposed to be understanding and cater to your beliefs? You wonder why people act this way? Are you kidding?

[simcha]

06:50 PM on 06/27/2011

fenerli, the brutal occupation of Lebanon did not end 15 years ago. What are you talking about?
Syria only withdrew from Lebanon about 5 years ago, and had occupied Lebanon since 1976.

[Trevor Lahey]

06:37 PM on 06/26/2011

And that is why I have zero desire to go to SA and will not fly with Delta ever again.

[General Public]

05:33 PM on 06/26/2011

If non-Muslims aren't allowed in Muslim countries, why are Muslims allowed in non-Muslim countries? Because our countries believe in freedom for everyone and their countries believe in freedom for nobody at all? I think that is the answer, really. Saudi Arabia is a totalitarian dictatorship like North Korea. That is really why this is happening. Luckily the Muslim world is having revolutions against their many dictatorships, but it is difficult... Muammar Gaddafi still rules most of Libya, and Egypt is still a military dictatorship even after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. So naturally many freedom-loving Muslim people leave their oppressive nations in search of nations willing to give them freedom, like the United States. However, you do not see Americans moving in large numbers to oppressive Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia. Islam itself, and religion in general, are tools of oppression, not only against unbelievers, but against the faithful as well, perhaps even more so. In Saudi Arabia, Iran, Taliban-era Afghanistan, and other dictatorships without separation of church and state, you have totalitarian theocracy, combining all of the oppressive powers of religion with all of the oppressive powers of government, for total elimination of individual freedom. The Puritans who founded the Massachusetts Bay colony had a similar oppressively theocratic bent, which luckily did not pass muster with the secular-minded Founding Fathers of these United States of America.

[Reese McKay]

11:24 PM on 06/28/2011

Yes indeed. And let's make sure we remain vigilant here in the United States and prevent some of the current Christian extremist movements here from turning this country into a theocracy. The freedom of thought, freedom of conscience, freedom to believe or not believe, practice or not practice, whatever religious or secular tradition our conscience impels us to follow is perhaps the greatest thing about America.