A passenger flying from St Lucia to Miami on Saturday was triggered by an American Airlines pilot’s ‘let’s go Brandon’ sticker on his case. AA apologized saying they don’t allow personal political statements. However, the Dallas Fort Worth-based airline currently offers an official, company-endorsed ‘Black Lives Matter’ pin for its staffers
The pilot, whose identity was not released by the airline, is now under investigation.
Dana Finley Morrison, a Missouri-based fraternity and sorority worker, was flying from St Lucia to Miami on Saturday when she spotted the pilot’s ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sticker.
Morrison tweeted to American Airlines, saying: ‘Y’all cool with your pilots displaying this kind of cowardly rhetoric on their crew luggage when they’re in uniform, about to board a plane?
‘We are not the only passengers who noticed and were disgusted.’
The airline then responded to Morrison, saying: ‘Thank you for bringing this to our attention and we want to get this to the right team. Please DM any additional details.’
Morrison later said they apologized and posted screenshots which she said was the conversation with American Airlines, with the airline promising to review the matter internally.
We hold our team members to the highest standards and expectations,’ the airline said.
The airline has a policy that only official, preapproved badges or pins can be worn by its staffers. Examples include a military veterans pin, a gay pride pin and one for Christian workers. Pilots can only wear three pins at a time.
In October 2020, however, the Dallas Fort Worth-based airline came under fire after it created an official ‘Black Lives Matter’ pin for employees.
Called the ‘Stand for Change’ badge, the adornment’s release came after staffers implored the airline to allow them to express their support towards the left-leaning sentiment, with many wearing unofficial, non-approved messages bearing the message.
The airline eventually succumbed to employees’ demands, despite its company policy of not supporting organizations – political or otherwise.
‘American Airlines believes in equity and inclusion for all,’ a rep for the company wrote in a statement at the time. ‘In light of the appropriate attention to lives of Black Americans, we will allow team members who wish to wear a Black Lives Matter pin to do so if they choose.’
‘We Believe Black Lives Matter. While American isn’t expressing support for specific organizations, we stand in solidarity with the movement for equality and justice for Black Americans who continue to experience racism and discrimination.’
With that said, many spoke out in defense of the pilot amid the current Let’s Go Brandon controversy, insisting that he should be allowed to express his views.
The airline says that it has launched an investigation into the pilot, but has remained mum as to the staffer’s identity and whether or not he will face repercussions for donning the unapproved piece of flair.
In November, a Southwest pilot faced scrutiny for signing off a PA announcement with ‘Let’s go Brandon’ on a flight from Houston, and also found himself under investigation.
At the time, Southwest released a statement that asserted the airline ‘does not condone employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job, serving our customers.’
The details surrounding the investigator of the pilot, also left unnamed, have yet to be released more than two months later, as the airline refused to divulge details on the pilot involved.
