The controversy over the laws of Saudi Arabia determining who can and can not land in the country is heating up. And Delta, as the largest airline in the SkyTeam Alliance may be caught in the middle.
The story actually begins in January, 2011 when SkyTeam announced that Saudi Arabian Airlines and Middle East Airlines would join SkyTeam in 2012.
According to Wikipedia, SkyTeam was founded in 2000 by Aeroméxico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air – the last of the three airline alliances to be formed – but has grown to become second largest airline alliance in the world (in passenger number terms and members), behind Star Alliance and ahead of Oneworld.
Delta also issued a press release extolling the virtues of the inclusion of Saudi Arabia airlines in the SkyTeam with the headline:Delta Air Lines Supports Saudi Arabian Airlines' Application to Join SkyTeam.
Then, they announced:
"Saudi Arabian's growing hub in Riyadh and extensive network throughout the Middle East will bring Delta customers greater access to destinations across one of the world's most important economic regions," said Charlie Pappas, Delta's vice president – Alliances. "We are honored that Saudi Arabian has chosen to link its future growth and success with Delta and our SkyTeam partners, while bringing our alliance greater access to destinations across the Middle East."
Saudi Arabian has a broad Middle Eastern and international network that will add 35 new destinations to the SkyTeam alliance network including Alexandria, Islamabad and Colombo. Delta customers can connect onto Saudi Arabian flights at Delta and SkyTeam hubs, including New York-JFK, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Milan.
In fact the website of Saudi Airlines portrays Saudi Arabia as quite the desirable destination.
Until recently, the rich history and culture of this extraordinary country has been shrouded beneath a veil of mystery. In an effort to open up and showcase its unique heritage, the Saudi Government has granted the national airline more tourist visas per country. Families and individuals are most welcome to contact the local tour operator by clicking on the link below who will deal with the paperwork and organize the trip.
Riyadh "The garden city"
Located on the great limestone plateau of Najd, near the fertile bed of the Hanifah Valley. The Kingdom’s capital is a thriving and vibrant metropolis with many charming old souks.
What's the problem? Saudi Arabia exerts tight control over who can land in their country.
Although few people are happy with the laws governing who can enter Saudi Arabia (and fewer with the rules restricting their behavior once they've landed), there is little controversy over their right to impose these rules.
On the other hand, when the another country and one of its airlines are in charge of being the heavy things look a little different. Enter Delta and the USA.
Right now accusations are flying, people are back-pedalling, and well, there's a lot of controversy.
First we had the assertion running through blogs and news outlets that that Delta would be adopting policies of the Saudi government and enforcing them.
What do we know about Saudi Arabia? It does not issue visas to citizens carrying Israeli passports. Saudi Arabia does not let unattended women into the country (yes, and with great self-control I won't comment). Saudi Arabia does not allow non-Islamic religious articles within its borders.
What does Saudi Arabia want to know before issuing a visa? Among other things, your religion, and it requires your permission to take not only your fingerprints, but also an "iris scan."
So, it's really quite easy for Saudi Arabia to make sure anyone of Jewish heritage isn't allowed to enter the country. Quite without Delta's assistance.
Caught in the middle, Delta has announced their position.
..., 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. You as passengers are responsible for obtaining the necessary travel documents, such as visas and certification of required vaccinations, and we’re responsible for making sure that you have the proper documentation before you board.
It's also been reported by Learn4Good that women visitors and residents are required to be met by their sponsor upon arrival. Women traveling alone, who are not met by sponsors, have experienced delays before being allowed to enter the country or to continue on other flights.
Perhaps the issue is of an airline of a repressive government joining an alliance dominated by airlines of far more moderate countries, including the USA.
So, what's the issue? In his blog, Rabbi Jason Miller notes:
The issue here is one of principle. Delta isn't being forced to include Saudi Arabian Airlines into its Sky Team Alliance. In fact, Delta could stand on principle and refuse to include Saudi Arabian Airlines based on its discriminatory policy. No, it's not Delta's fault that the Saudi government is anti-Semitic, but it doesn't have to go along with it.
He further clarifies:
The issue here is that they have welcomed an airline (Saudi Arabian Airlines) that does discriminate into their global partnership (SkyTeam). Finally, Delta does not own the Sky Team alliance. SkyTeam is a global airline alliance (founded by Delta Airlines and a few other airlines) that provides customers from member airlines access to an extensive global network with more destinations, more frequencies and more connectivity.
Is this the end? No.
Today, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) released a statement demanding
that Delta Air Lines end its partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines, owned by the Saudi government, which embraces discriminatory policies targeting Jews, Christians and women.
The ACLJ, which has mobilized both legal and legislative teams, is also calling for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to get involved, and for Congress to probe this troubling deal.
And finally we have the Delta Backpedal...
Delta does not operate service to Saudi Arabia and does not codeshare with any airline on flights to that country. Delta does not intend to codeshare 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.
Perhaps if they had waxed less lyrical about the joys of adding Saudi Arabia to SkyTeam they wouldn't be working quite so hard to distance themselves.
As for flying to Saudi Arabia... there are many countries I'd like to visit. I've already loved cruising down the Nile River in Egypt, and would someday like to visit Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. But this Jewish- Unitarian-Universalist woman sees no reason ever to set foot in Saudi Arabia. And I'm sure both the Saudis and my family are sighing with relief.
However, Saudi Airlines flies all over the world. Will their restrictive policies be part of their non-Saudi destination policy? And do we want to financially support them given their policies?
What do you think?
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