A passenger was kicked off a Delta flight for wearing an “offensive” phrase on his hoodie. The passenger, Jauniel Brooks, recorded the experience and posted it on TikTok, where he said he plans to sue Delta Air Lines for the incident. The hoodie read “F—k Biden” followed by “And f—k you for voting for him!” in smaller print. The flight attendant in the video said it was in breach of company policy. [1]
Passenger is Kicked off Flight Because of His Hoodie
In the first video, the flight attendant confronts him about the hoodie and asks him to turn it inside out to hide the words, saying they already got a complaint from another passenger. When Brooks refused, she said she had to go speak to the captain.
In Brooks’ next video, the flight attendant explained the clothing did not comply with the airline policy. She said she spoke with corporate security and said if he didn’t get off the plane to put his hoodie inside out, they would have to disembark all of the passengers. She added that if Brooks doesn’t comply, they’ll place him on a no-fly list. Brooks argued, asking to see the policy in writing and she said he could look it up on the computer on the jet bridge. He responded that if the policy is online, she should show it to him on her phone right there.
When the flight attendant said that would be inconvenient, Brooks said, “No, you’re making this inconvenient, because last time I checked, I live in the United States of America, with the First Amendment freedom of press, freedom of speech, or freedom of religion, do I not?“
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He Threatens to Sue
In the next video, he’s standing up. He takes off his mask to take the hoodie then goes to sit back down while saying, “You guys force me to wear my mask. I don’t want to wear it. I can’t wear my hoodie. It’s off. I’m going to sit down. You guys better not bug me for the rest of the day because whatever you guys come up and say to me will be recorded, and you guys will get sued.”
The next clip shows Brooks sitting back at his seat with the same flight attendant. At that point, they asked him to disembark. “So I’m still getting kicked off the plane?” Brooks asked. “Yeah, you’re not putting—you’re not wearing the mask,” the flight attendant responded. “I literally just took off my hoodie,” Brooks interrupted. “If you ask me nice, I will put back on the mask which I was doing as you came back up here.” But she responded, “As you can see I’m relaying the message to you what the captain says, he said he doesn’t want you on the aircraft anymore.”
After getting off the plane, Brooks recorded his conversation with a Delta supervisor at the check-in desk. She said her team informed her he was kicked off the flight because “you refused to wear the mask and you had on a hoodie that Delta does not permit you wearing.” She added that he would be receiving a full refund for his ticket.
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What are Delta’s Policies on Passengers’ Clothing?
After this incident, the Libs of TikTok Twitter account posted screenshots of an alleged conversation with a Delta representative who claimed the airline had no policies about passengers’ clothing. When asked if one could wear a shirt that says “F—k Trump,” she said “Oh. No worries. There are no clothing policy on Delta’s. You can wear anything you want.”
After this event, Delta Airlines released a statement. They confirmed the passenger was kicked off the flight for breaching their clothing policy. “Delta has long prohibited customers from displaying profane or derogatory words or images, and our expectation is for customers and our people to treat each other with dignity and respect, always. Nothing is more important than a safe, civil travel experience for all. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience caused by the briefly delayed departure.” [3]
On the airline’s website, Delta’s “Contract of Carriage” dictates their policies about refusing to transport passengers based on their conduct or condition. Item eight on the list reads: “Delta may refuse to transport any passenger… when the passenger’s conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers.” [3]
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Sources
- “Delta Passenger Kicked Off Flight For ‘Offensive’ Sweater Now Planning To Sue The Airline.” Travel Noire. Amara Amaryah. March 16, 2022
- “I was thrown off of a Delta flight for the phrase on my sweater – and now they’re threatening to ban me.” The U.S. Sun. Jacob Bentley-York. March 12, 2022
- “Contract of Carriage: International.” Delta Airlines. August 18, 2022