The FAA isn't due to weigh in until around 7:00 tonight Israel time, but Delta and Lufthansa have already decided to extend the ban on flights to Israel.
Germany's Lufthansa on Wednesday suspended flights to and from Tel
Aviv for an additional 24 hours. The decision also applies to
Germanwings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines.
"At
the present time no adequate authoritative new information is available
that would justify a resumption of flights. In close coordination with
the responsible authorities Lufthansa is continually evaluating the
safety situation for its total flight network," the company said.
On Tuesday, it suspended flights for 36 hours following a decision by
America's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to suspend travel to
and from Israel. A rocket had fallen in a house in Yehud, a residential
area near the airport, earlier in the day.
Delta Air Lines will
also extend its suspension of flights to Israel on Wednesday amid
hostilities between Israel and the militant group Hamas, its chief
executive said on CNBC.
"Today ... we are not flying to Israel," Delta CEO Richard Anderson said in an interview with CNBC.
His
comments come a day after air carriers in the United States and Europe
halted flights to Tel Aviv as turmoil in Israel and the Gaza Strip
intensified.
The FAA on Tuesday
said it told US carriers they were prohibited from flying to or from
Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for up to 24 hours, citing "the
potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict in Israel
and Gaza."
At least Delta is consistent.
"We will not allow a flight to be dispatched over Iran, Iraq, Syria,
Ukraine, Afghanistan or North Korea," he told CNBC. "We make this
decision wholly independent of any geopolitical or regulatory mandate."
United, Delta and USAir suspend flights to Israel - UPDATE FAA BANS US FLIGHTS, EUROPEANS FOLLOW SUIT
United, Delta and USAir have suspended all flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport after a Hamas rocket this afternoon landed in Yahud, some 5 kilometers from the airport (Hat Tip: NY Nana). The White House says that it did not order the flights suspended, but Delta said it made its decision in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Delta said it suspended service to and from its New York JFK hub
"until further notice," while the Israel Airports Authority would only
confirm that the carriers had suspended flight scheduled for Monday. US
Airways has not yet released a statement.
United announced it was also suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
Transportation
Minister called on American aviation companies to return to normal
functioning, stressing that Ben-Gurion airport was safe from for
take-offs and landings, and that there was no security concern for
passenger planes.
"There is no reason for the American companies to stop their flight and give a prize to terror," he said.
Though
media had reported that the US Federal Aviation Authority had ordered
the cancellations, it did not issue any new guidance on flying through
the region. The airline companies had acted on their own authority.
An order from the FAA could have had far greater repercussions for Israel's economy.
"As
soon as the FAA gives such an order to US carriers, in most cases it's a
domino effect, and most European carriers will be forced to suspend
their flights," said an industry source.
Regardless, the source added,
"This is a huge coup for Hamas."
Tourism accounts for about 5% of Israel's exports, and has already declined as a result of the rocket fire from Gaza.
According
to Channel 2, Israeli and American flight officials are reportedly
trying to come to an understanding regarding the US concerns over
rocket fire.
Israel contends that the Iron Dome rocket defense
system, which has proven to be 90% effective during Operation
Protective Edge, is also capable of intercepting projectiles in the
area of Ben-Gurion Airport.
The rocket which landed in the courtyard of a home in Yehud on Tuesday,
causing damage and leaving two people lightly injured, marked the first
direct hit in the greater Tel Aviv area since the Gaza operation began
more than two weeks ago.
There is an answer, but so far only El Al has bought into it. American Airlines (which recently merged with USAir) decided six years ago that the solution was too expensive.
UPDATE 8:44 PM
The FAA has now banned all US airlines from flying here for the next 24 hours and Air France, KLM and Lufthansa have all said that they won't fly here either.
"The FAA immediately notified US carriers when the agency learned of
the rocket strike and informed them that the agency was finalizing a
[Notice to Airmen]" prohibiting the flights.
...
Delta diverted flight 468 from JFK with 273 passengers and 17 crew,
Paris-Charles de Gaulle "after reports of a rocket or associated debris
near the airport in Tel Aviv," and said that it was working to
re-accommodate its customers.
While the FAA does not have
jurisdiction over European or other international air carriers, the
decision may lead to other cancellations.
"As soon as the FAA
gives such an order to US carriers, in most cases it's a domino effect,
and most European carriers will be forced to suspend their flights,"
said an industry source. "This is a huge coup for Hamas."
Air
France suspended all flights to and from Israel due to "security reasons
linked to the evolution of the local situation," Reuters quoted an
airline spokesman as saying.
Lufthansa, Swiss Air, and KLM also suspended flights to Ben Gurion.
The US issued a travel warning against traveling to Israel or Gaza this morning. Nevertheless, over 200 North American immigrants arrived here today.
#BDSFail Delta Airlines: No, we don't comply with BDS
Remember the story I ran on Sunday about Delta Airlines getting rid of a snack that is manufactured in the Barkan industrial zone in Samaria? You might recall that Electronic Intifada claimed that the snack was discontinued because of where it is manufactured.
Delta Airlines bows to BDS, gets rid of Kosher snack on flights to Israel
It's been about two years now since Delta Airlines allowed Saudi Arabian Airlines to join its Sky Miles program. That event caused such a scandal that Delta, which is one of three airlines that flies directly from the US to Israel (El Al and Continental/United are the others), was forced to promise that they would never ask for their passengers' religious affiliations.
Who Profits, a
research project of the Tel Aviv-based Coalition of Women for Peace,
learned that Delta Air Lines will stop serving the Ahva Vanilla Halva
bar, three weeks after a customer filed a complaint with the company’s
legal department.
In the copy of Delta’s email to the customer that I received from Who Profits, Delta Air Lines writes:
From: Delta Customer Care <custrel@delta.com>
Date: Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 8:00 PM
Subject: Delta Air Lines (KMM25201657V70362L0KM)
To: [redacted]
RE: Case Number # [redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted]
We are in receipt of your letter to the Delta Law Department dated
July 2, 2013 and the subsequent communication sent on July 25, 2013. We
apologize for the delay in our response.
Delta has notified our local catering company to discontinue serving
the Vanilla Halva bar in meals onboard Delta flights from Israel.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Specialist, Corporate Customer Care
Delta Air Lines
WhoProfits (whoprofits.org) did not release the name of the customer, at the customer’s request.
The source of the report is Ali Abunimah's anti-Semitic Electronic Intifada. They claim that they contacted Delta and that Delta had no comments about this report.
I have not flown Delta at all since 2005, and I have never flown them between the US and Israel. You can bet I won't start now. And you shouldn't either. I'm waiting to see how much longer it takes before Delta tries to give up the routes to Israel.
You may recall that Delta Airlines had on their website (or at least did until this week), a destination called "Occupied Palestinian Territories." They removed the word "Occupied" this week. Maybe this video had something to do with it.
Following weeks of mounting criticism from Jews, Christians, Hindus and others, Delta Airlines has put in writing that it will never request that its customers disclose their religious affiliation. A letter to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, from a Senior Vice President, read in part, “Delta employees do not currently and will not in future, request that customers declare their religious affiliation. We would also not seek such information on behalf of any SkyTeam partner or any airline.” (Read letter here).
That's all well and good folks, but do you really think the Saudis won't know a passenger's religious affiliation if he orders a Kosher meal? (Not to mention that I am sure that there are no Kosher meals available on any flight departing Saudi Arabia).
Shavua tov v'Chodesh tov - a good week and a good month to everyone.
I am sure you all recall the recent uproar over Delta Airlines allowing Saudi Arabian Airlines to join its Sky Miles program. USA Today has written an article sympathetic to Delta, which claims that they got a bum rap (Hat Tip: Racquel R).
Because Saudi Arabian Airlines is becoming a member of SkyTeam, Delta was singled out in reports that ran Thursday and were passed around social media. U.S. carriers already partner with other airlines that fly to Saudi Arabia, including Air France and the German airline Lufthansa.
On Friday, Republican Sen. Mark Kirk said he wrote to the Federal Aviation Administration to ask for an investigation into whether Delta "violated U.S. law or regulation and to ensure no U.S. citizen is denied their right to fly solely on the basis of their religion."
Delta said on Friday that it does not discriminate, and pointed out that it doesn't fly to Saudi Arabia or codeshare with any airline that does. It said it does not plan to codeshare with Saudi Arabian Airlines. (A codeshare is when an airline places its flight designator, or "code," onto a flight operated by a different airline. The arrangement allows airlines to sell tickets on each other's flights.) Delta does have what's called an "interline agreement" with Saudi Arabian Airlines, which allows tickets to be sold that include multiple airlines for multiple legs of the trip.
Earlier this month Delta faced a public outcry after two soldiers complained in a video posted on YouTube that their unit returning from Afghanistan was charged $200 each to check a fourth bag. Delta ended up changing its baggage policy to allow four bags for free for troops in coach.
It has been pointed out to me that American's program now includes Etihad Airlines, which is the airline of Abu Dhabi, which also allegedly does not admit Jews or other people who have been to Israel. American's program also includes Royal Jordanian, which does allow Israelis to fly to Jordan.
It has also been pointed out to me that both Lufthansa (which is in United's Mileage Plus program) and Air France (which I believe is also in Sky Miles) both fly to Saudi Arabia, and that Delta is one of three US airlines (US Air and Continental are the others) who fly to Israel from the US. (For the record, American code shared briefly with El Al in late 2008 but was forced to stop when the FAA declared Ben Gurion Airport unsafe. American cannot fly to Israel itself because of the way in which it purchased TWA's route system. TWA used to fly here).
I also know several people who have visited both Israel and Saudi Arabia (and for that matter, Israel and the Emirates - one of which is Abu Dhabi). I do not know many Israelis who have done so, and I know Americans who carry two separate passports - one for Israel and one for the Arab world.
So is this blown out of proportion? I'd certainly prefer to see Saudi Arabia isolated (I don't know of any other country in the world that routinely confiscates non-Muslim religious articles) until they can treat non-Muslims normally. But I don't think accusations that Delta is anti-Israel are warranted.
US Senator wants to investigate Delta-Saudi Arabian Airways connection
US Senator Mark Kirk (R-Il) has demanded an investigation into Delta Airlines' new marketing deal with Saudi Arabian Airlines, pursuant to which Saudi Air has become a member of the Sky Miles program.
Illinois Republican Sen. Mark Kirk wrote Federal Aviation Administration Administrator J. Randolph Babbit Friday and urged him to “determine whether Delta Airlines violated US law or regulation and to ensure no US citizen is denied their right to fly solely on the basis of their religion.”
Kirk was referring to news reports which alleged that as a result of Delta expanding its SkyTeam network of member airlines to include Saudi Arabian Airlines, on flights bound for Saudi Arabia Delta itself would comply with Saudi requirements regarding who can arrive in the country, which could lead to the exclusion of Jews. The SkyTeam expansion was announced in January and is set to begin in 2012.
The charge seems to rest on the need for US passengers to possess a visa to Saudi Arabia in order to board a flight destined to the Gulf state, and Saudi Arabia is widely believed to not grant visas to most Jews as well as people of any faith who have Israeli entry stamps in their passports.
It is common practice for airlines in the same alliance to codeshare on flights and allow customers to transfer frequent flier miles between companies, which critics of the move by Delta charge makes the American airline even more complicit in the Saudi carrier’s practices.
But Trebor Banstetter, a Delta spokesman, emailed The Jerusalem Post a statement saying that in the case of Saudi Arabian Airlines, “Delta does not operate service to Saudi Arabia and does not codeshare with any airline that serves that country. Delta does not intend to codeshare or share reciprocal benefits, such as frequent flier benefits.”
He continued, “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.”
Banstetter did not respond to requests seeking further clarification.
That's pretty similar to a comment that (purported) Delta employee Susan Elliott put on Lisa Graas' blog after Lisa picked up the story from me.
But those assertions have not done a whole lot to quell the outrage. On Friday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center attacked Delta (which also flies to Israel from New York - and in the summer from Atlanta) for allying itself with the Wahhabi Muslim kingdom.
“We call on Delta Airlines to end its partnership agreement with Saudi Arabian Airlines," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, Founder and Dean of the Center (pictured left). "Such an agreement de facto amounts to discrimination against Jews and Israelis." Hier said that the Center does not accept Delta’s position that it must comply with the applicable laws of every country and that this a matter to be taken up by the State Department. "This agreement violates all the principles for which the United States stands for," he added.
Rabbi Hier said that at a time where the entire world is focused on the Arab Spring, hoping that it will lead to full freedom and democratic rights, Delta is taking a step backwards by endorsing bigotry and anti-Semitism. He concluded: "You can’t partner with someone then claim, ‘you have nothing to do with it' Would the airline enter into an agreement that barred, blacks, women, or Catholics from flying?"
I saw a similar comment from Rabbi Shmuelly Boteach (sorry, I won't link that because it's behind a paywall) in which he compared Delta's action to an airline agreeing to codeshare with South African Airways during the apartheid era.
Here's Dr. Zuhdi Jasser of the American-Islamic Forum for Democracy with a Muslim reaction to this story.
Let's go to the videotape.
The only one defending Delta that I've seen is a blog post in the Wall Street Journal, which says to blame the Saudis and not Delta.
Saudi Arabia requires a visa for most foreigners entering its country, and the kingdom denies visas to people who a stamp in their passport from Israel. (When applying for a visa, you send in your passport.) Many believe the strict Islamic nation routinely denies visas to people it believes are Jewish. The Saudi visa application asks you to state your religion.
Without a visa, no airline can board a passenger for a flight to that country. Anytime you fly internationally, your documents get checked by the airline before you board. If a visa is required and you don’t have one, the airline can’t fly you there only to have you sent back.
Delta is entering into a partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines through its SkyTeam Alliance, beginning next year. Delta planes don’t actually fly there, but Delta customers will be riding on Saudi Arabian through an interline agreement. (They already do that today through a standard interline agreement.) Delta says it won’t code-share with Saudi Arabian — place its flight code on Saudi flights– and won’t offer reciprical frequent flier benefits. Like any airline, Delta can’t board Saudi-bound passengers without a visa.
It would be the same on Lufthansa or British Airways or Air France flights to Riyadh, or for that matter on their U.S. code-sharing partners–United, US Airways or American. Without a visa, American won’t board you for a flight to London if your ticket connects you to Saudi Arabia. In terms of airline policy, there’s nothing new.
No, there is something new. No US carrier has ever allowed the Saudis (or the Syrians or the Iranians or any other Arab airline other than Jordan or possibly Egypt) into their frequent flier program. It's bad enough people still go to Saudi Arabia. There's no need to give their national airline more business because of it.
You can't go to Saudi Arabia but you can fly Delta
Delta Airlines is denying that Saudia Arabian Airlines joining its Sky Miles program will result in discrimination against its Jewish passengers (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).
First and foremost, I think one of the most important things to mention here is that Delta does not discriminate nor do we condone discrimination against anyone in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, or gender.
That said, some have raised questions about whether Saudi Arabian Airlines' membership in SkyTeam means Delta is adopting any type of policies that could present barriers to travel for some passengers, including Jewish customers. For this particular concern, it's important to realize that visa requirements to enter any country are dictated by that nation's government, not the airlines, and they apply to anyone entering the country regardless of whether it's by plane, bus or train.
We, like all international airlines, are required to comply with all applicable laws governing entry into every country we serve. You as passengers are responsible for obtaining the necessary travel documents, such as visas and certification of required vaccinations, and we're responsible for making sure that you have the proper documentation before you board.
In other words, Delta will still be happy to take your money and let you fly, but 'our friends the Saudis' may not let you in once you get there, and for sure they will not let in your Bible, Crucifix, Tefillin or Star of David. For that matter, they might not let you on the plane either. (if you don't have a visa to enter a country, and need one, the airlines will not fly you, because if you are not admitted to the country, they must return you on the next flight at their expense).
Delta's Sky Miles program is not the only one that includes one or more airlines from the Arab world that have a problem with non-Muslim religious objects. For example, One World, in which American Airlines and British Airways are the lead partners, includes Royal Jordanian Airways, and we know that there have been problems in Jordan in the past with Tefillin and yarmulkas (skullcaps).
But I have a bigger problem with Delta and that's how they list the countries of the 'Middle East' region:
Middle East
>Bahrain; Egypt; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Occupied Palestinian Territory; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Syrian Arab Republic; United Arab Emirates (composed of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras El Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm Al Qaiwain); Yemen, Republic of; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Uzbekistan
Anyone know where that country I highlighted is?
And then there's this at the end of the first article I quoted, which is spot-on:
As the rumor of no-Jews traveled the Internet all day, Detroit rabbi and blogger Jason Miller points out:
The issue here is one of principle. Delta isn't being forced to include Saudi Arabian Airlines into its Sky Team Alliance. In fact, Delta could stand on principle and refuse to include Saudi Arabian Airlines based on its discriminatory policy.
Robert Spencer posts this picture and asks what measures Delta Airlines (her employer at Reagan National Airport in Washington) has taken to ensure that a hijab-clad clerk is not going to give a Mujahadein a break. Answer, of course, none.
Of course, there is no doubt whatsoever that the hijabbed Delta clerk is as honest and patriotic as the day is long. But suppose, just suppose, that a hijabbed Muslim woman Misunderstood the Religion of Peace in the same way as do jihad terrorists such as Mohamed Mohamud, the would-be Christmas tree lighting bomber of Portland, Oregon. And suppose further that she applied for a job with Delta. What screening techniques would Delta employ to make sure that she wouldn't give her brother mujahedin a needed break that would enable them to carry out a jihad terror attack on a Delta airplane? What line of questioning would Delta follow in interviewing that applicant in order to rule out such a possibility?
Why, Delta would do nothing of the sort. Nor would any other airline. If any airline did question a hijabbed applicant that way, the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) would be filing a discrimination suit within minutes.
And we as Americans are more or less willingly acquiescing to this state of affairs. One day another plane might blow out of the sky and another group of jihadis will claim their houris for murdering another few hundred free people, but at least we will not have "profiled" or succumbed to "Islamophobia." And that's what is clearly more important than a few hundred more American lives.
Of course, the US is not alone in that situation - far from it. The last time I flew through London Heathrow, it seemed like at least half the security detail was 'Asian' as they so delicately put it. Recall this story that I first posted in 2006.
Three years ago, I flew Tel Aviv - London - Boston and back with one of my children. Tel Aviv - London - Tel Aviv was El Al. On the way back, I had to go downstairs in London, identify my bags, open them, and ensure that nothing had been added during the course of my first flight. They even made me open the box with my brand new computer (on which I am typing this post) because Homeland Security had put tape around the box indicating that they inspected it. When I asked the security personnel why I had to open the computer, she reminded me that "the people who blew up Mike's Place worked at Heathrow." She was right. But the Brits still haven't figured that out: Two weeks ago, it was reported that one of the terrorists who was arrested in connection with the plot to blow up planes flying between London and the US was a Heathrow employee with an all-area access pass.
That's not even my only Heathrow story. Back in the early part of the last decade (post 9/11), I got all the way to the gate of my American flight to Boston before someone thought to ask me whether I had packed my own bags. Of course, by then they had been checked already, so it didn't matter anyway.
For the record El Al has its own security. At every airport in the World to which they fly.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
