Delta Air Lines on Friday issued a statement denying it discriminates against religious groups in response to criticism of the Atlanta-based carrier for an upcoming alliance with Saudi Arabian Airlines.
According to a story by Religion News Service, "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."
Delta, which announced in January that Saudi Arabian Airlines would be joining its SkyTeam global alliance, responded with a statement Friday in which it denied it would code-share with Saudi Arabian, which is owned by the Saudi government.
"Delta does not operate service to Saudi Arabia and does not code-share with any airline that serves that country," spokesman Trebor Banstetter said. "Delta does not intend to code-share 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."
The Religion News Service story says that "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."
However, Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, told USA Today blogger Cathy Lynn Grossman that he knows many Jewish professionals who routinely fly to Saudi Arabia on business.
The Anti-Defamation League on Friday issued a statement calling on Delta to make it clear to Saudi Arabian and the Saudi government that "it will not be a party" to discriminatory policies.
“We understand that Delta, as any airline, is required to comply with the visa requirements of the destination country,” ADL executive director Abraham Foxman said in a letter to Delta CEO Richard H. Anderson. “However, Saudi Arabia’s past practice of banning travelers with an ‘Israel' stamp in their passport from gaining entry into the country runs contrary to the spirit and intent of Delta’s nondiscrimination policy."
The ADL said it is making similar appeals to other American carriers who fly to Saudi Arabia or have code-share partnerships and is urging the Saudi government to clarify its visa policy in regard to Israeli and Jewish travelers.
In an earlier statement Friday, Banstetter said that "Delta does not discriminate nor do we condone discrimination against anyone in regards to age, race, nationality, religion or gender.
"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."
There is apparently no official Saudi policy prohibiting Israelis or people who have traveled to Israel from entering Saudi Arabia. However, the ADL and others say the kingdom has routinely denied visas to travelers with the "Israel" stamp in their passport.
The U.S. State Department website says there have been "reports by U.S. citizens that they were refused a Saudi visa because their passports reflected travel to Israel or indicated that they were born in Israel."
There is evidence that Israel may conduct similar practices.
According to the State Department website, "U.S. citizens whom Israeli authorities suspect of being of Arab, Middle Eastern or Muslim origin; those who have been involved in missionary or activist activity; and those who ask that Israeli stamps not be entered into their passport may face additional, often time-consuming, and probing questioning by immigration and border authorities, or may even be denied entry into Israel, the West Bank or Gaza."
While Delta points out that granting visas is a decision made by the Saudi government, critics say that excuse doesn't fly.
“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,” Kenneth Bandler, a spokesman for the New York-based American Jewish Committee, told RNS.
Saudi Arabian Airlines was founded by the Saudi government in 1945. It is currently in the midst of a privatization program and hopes to be complete the process by 2013.
-- AJC staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi contributed to this article.
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