A YouTube star known for pranks says he was removed from a Delta Air Lines flight after speaking Arabic.
In a series of tweets and videos, Adam Saleh described the incident on Delta Flight 1 from London's Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.
"We got kicked out of a @Delta airplane because I spoke Arabic to my mom on the phone and with my friend slim," Saleh wrote.
WARNING: Video contains strong language
In one tweet, he called for a boycott of Delta. Delta said two customers were removed from the flight and later rebooked "after a disturbance in the cabin resulted in more than 20 customers expressing their discomfort."
Saleh later tweeted that he was “on another flight with a different airline heading to NYC after being checked for 30 minutes.”
Delta said in a statement Wednesday evening: "Based on the information collected to date, it appears the customers who were removed sought to disrupt the cabin with provocative behavior, including shouting. This type of conduct is not welcome on any Delta flight.... what is paramount to Delta is the safety and comfort of our passengers and employees. It is clear these individuals sought to violate that priority."
Saleh’s videos on YouTube depict various pranks and “experiments.”
Delta said this week that after an incident earlier this year involving Dr. Tamika Cross, a passenger who offered to help during a medical emergency in flight but was rebuffed and raised concerns about discrimination, the airline changed its policies.
The airline invited Cross to visit Delta for discussion and for Delta to apologize, and Cross also spoke with Delta CEO Ed Bastian.
Delta said after the incident, it decided effective Dec. 1 that flight attendants are not required to verify medical credentials. The airline also learned that there is no legal or regulatory requirement to verify medical credentials, and that many doctors and nurses do not carry a license with them because they can be verified online.
Delta said “the feedback Dr. Cross provided gave us a chance to make flying better,” according to Delta’s senior vice president of in-flight service Allison Ausband in a written statement.
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