Like other airlines, Delta’s had quite a year of controversies going down on its flights. Following a tantrum-y Ann Coulter, a disruptive YouTube star, and a ranting, pro-Trump passenger who got banned for life, yet another ruckus is brewing. This time, a doctor says that a Delta flight crew stopped her from singing the national anthem.
Dr. Pamela Gaudry, who was en route from Philadelphia to Atlanta on Saturday, told the Associated Press that she began to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” after becoming aware that her flight carried a fallen American soldier’s remains. The doctor also claims that she asked her fellow passengers if they’d join her in song, and she says many “agreed enthusiastically.” However, a Delta attendant reportedly halted the gesture because (according to Gaudry), it could cause discomfort for passengers who are not American.
Gaudry noted to the AP that the crew instructed passengers to sit “quietly” while the soldier’s casket was removed from the plane upon landing in Atlanta. The doctor then departed the flight and proceeded to record her own video account of what happened. She posted the footage to Facebook, where over 1.7 million people have listened to her critique herself for “the most uncourageous thing in my life,” which she explains was her decision to obey the crew’s instructions. Gaudry explained further:
“The chief flight attendant came back to my seat and she kneeled down and she said, ‘It is against company policy to do what you’re doing.’ And I said, ‘The national anthem? And there’s a soldier onboard?’ And she said, ‘Yes, you cannot sing the national anthem. It is against company policy.'”
Meanwhile, Delta is looking into the situation. In a statement, the airline indicated that they don’t have a policy against the anthem:
“Our employees worldwide take great pride in Delta’s longstanding support of the military … Delta does not have a policy regarding the national anthem. We have reached out to the customer and are looking into this situation.”
Gaudry told Fox News that Delta has “apologized … profusely” to her, and “I accept.” Still, she wishes the situation would have been handled differently.
(Via Associated Press, Fox News & Pamela Gaudry on Facebook)