The Delta branch of the Air Line Pilots Association International, issued the following statement today repudiating Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker’s recent comments. The Delta MEC is the union’s governing body of the Delta Air Line’s 14,000 pilots.
“The Delta Master Executive Council (MEC) strongly repudiates Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker’s appalling comments about U.S. airlines’ service and that our passengers are “always being served by grandmothers.” The MEC strongly affirms the value we place on all of our fellow Delta Air Lines employees, certainly our flight attendants, with whom we so closely work day in and day out. The Delta pilots do not define our flight attendants’ customer service by age, gender, race or any other physical metric. We define it by our culture, which has developed over the life of our company and embraces diversity, inclusion and, in fact, emphasizes experience which in large part comes with age. Nothing can replace training and experience in the unforgiving environments in which we operate. Delta flight attendants are required to complete rigorous training programs, above and beyond legal requirements, making them extremely qualified to address all challenges presented to them during flight, and on the ground, while providing exemplary service to our customers.
Contrary to Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker’s comments, we prefer to highlight the value placed on cabin crew skill and experience at Delta as well as at the other U.S. airlines. We feel that Mr. Al Baker’s comments are not unexpected, considering the fact that his airline is in large part subsidized by a government known for questionable stances on basic human rights, equality, and inclusion. As such, his offered apology rings quite hollow. The idea that he thought that his comments could have ever been acceptable in the modern workplace and society serve as a perfect example of how he regards societal norms and considers himself and his company to be above those rules and laws. With this ideology, it is no wonder he expects that the huge government subsidies needed to operate his airline would be acceptable to the rest of the world.
This latest offering from the Qatar Airways CEO simply adds to the mounting distaste of the predatory, strike-breaking, and blatantly discriminatory practices exhibited by this carrier, along with their continued aviation trade agreement violations. We call upon the President of the United States to end the unscrupulous, intolerant, and discriminatory “seat dumping” continuously exhibited by these types of carriers to and from the United States. The time is now and these inflammatory comments serve only to highlight the urgency for action.”
SOURCE: Air Line Pilots Association
CONTACT: Delta MEC, ALPA, Kelly Regus, 404-763-4925 or [email protected]
ALPA Media, [email protected]
