I really think this is an area in which airlines just can’t win…
United Airlines doesn’t back down on flag pin policy
It goes without saying that the conflict between Israel and Palestine has been controversial globally, with people taking different sides.
Personally, I feel horrible for the unconscionable terrorist attack that was committed against Israel on October 7, 2023, given the number of people who were killed, and the number of hostages who were taken. I also feel terrible for the number of innocent Palestinians who have lost their lives in the response to this attack, especially given how many of them are children.
To me, those takes aren’t at odds with one another. However, it’s clear that this topic is incredibly divisive, with so many people choosing to only see one side of the tragedy.
Along those lines, this controversy has creeped into the airline industry quite a bit, whereby there has been drama when frontline employees have worn flags in support of Palestine. Historically, many airlines have allowed employees to wear flag pins to represent places that have an important meaning to them.
What’s interesting is that we’ve seen several airlines evolve their policies on flag pins. For example, Delta has banned employees from wearing flag pins, in order to avoid any potential controversy. United is taking the opposite approach, which is to continue to allow employees to wear flags in support of Israel or Palestine.
This seems to cause a viral story on a nearly weekly basis, but the airline isn’t backing down. Per an airline spokesperson:
“Our uniform policy has long included an option for flight attendants to wear flag pins to designate specific language skills so that our customers who are more comfortable in a language other than English can know who on our crew speaks their preferred language. We also allow flight attendants to wear flag pins that represent their pride in a place to which they may have a special connection.”
Is the Delta or United approach correct?
Historically, I’ve loved the idea of airline employees being able to wear flag pins. The airline industry is about connecting people from around the world, and it’s nice to be able to express your roots, or a language you speak, or whatever, with a flag pin.
For decades, this really wasn’t very controversial. I don’t think anyone is going to be offended by a flag from Spain, or Brazil, or Japan. But as you’d expect, what was once a cute touch has turned into something that’s now incredibly divisive.
With everything in life, there are different ways you can choose to interpret something. If I see someone wear an Israel flag pin, I assume they’re showing support for the October 7 hostages. If I see someone wear a Palestine flag, I assume they’re showing support for the tens of thousands of people in Palestine who have lost their lives, and not showing support for Hamas. But I also understand how and why others interpret these situations differently.
So, what’s the right approach for airlines to take? Should they ban flag pins altogether (like Delta), or just continue to allow employees to express themselves (like United)? While I largely respect United’s approach, I think Delta is probably in the right here:
- Rightly or wrongly, there’s no denying that wearing a Palestine flag is going to make many passengers angry
- Ultimately airlines can’t protect employees from the harassment of being photographed and put on blast for wearing such a pin
- As much as I’m for individual expression of employees, I think that line should probably be drawn short of expressing a divisive take
Ideally it wouldn’t be this way. But the reality is that taking a side on Israel vs. Palestine is about as controversial as taking a side on Trump vs. Harris, and I don’t think any of us want flight attendant suddenly wearing political pins. Therefore I think the same should apply here.
Bottom line
United Airlines is continuing to allow frontline employees to wear flag pins, including those for Palestine. As you’d expect, this is frequently causing outrage, as passenger snap pictures of flight attendants wearing these, and put them on blast (in violation of the company’s policy on photographing staff). Delta addressed this controversy by banning flag pins altogether, while United is maintaining its policy.
What do you think the right approach is for airlines — is Delta or United addressing this correctly?
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