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.

FMI: www.aclj.org