By now, we’ve all heard quite a few horror stories about people “flying while Black.” Now, it appears the Braxton sisters have been caught in the middle of an ordeal on a Delta Airlines flight. Over the weekend, the ladies Delta flight wasn’t exactly a peaceful ride as there was a bit of unexpected turbulence. However, the turbulence had nothing to do with the flight itself. It was a result of Tamar’s awkward encounter with one of the pilots. Now, footage of the incident is going viral.
The Video:
For those who missed the drama, Towanda Braxton took to Instagram with the footage of Tamar’s run-in with the pilot. She captioned the video, “@tamarbraxton got ridiculed by a pilot for flying while black on Delta. Wow! I guess being a diamond and double million miler don’t matter… @delta Shame on you… #WhyArePeopleSoMad #flyingwhileblack #smh.”
The video begins with Tamar’s encounter with the pilot. While it is unclear what led to the incident or why the pilot felt compelled to leave the cockpit and confront Tamar, many people are focusing on his condescending tone. To many fans, the pilot’s tone of voice was very disrespectful. Regardless of what the discussion was about, people are arguing that his attitude was uncalled for. Then to make matters worse, he walked off while she was talking and people are outraged by the level of disrespect.
“Here’s how this works,” he says in the video, posted to Towanda’s Instagram. “My flight attendants work for me. They give orders that come from me. So if you get an instruction from a flight attendant, I need to know that you are willing and able to do what you’re told to do. Are you willing and able to do what you’re told to do by a flight attendant? Don’t ask me any questions. Answer yes or no.”
Check out the footage below:
https://instagram.com/p/Bly6eZKg_9R/
Somethin’ Missin?:
While the pilot’s tone was obviously condescending, there’s one question that’s still looming: what led to this incident? Of course, fans have defended Tamar but others are wondering what happened before the camera started rolling. Despite Towanda’s blasting post, Delta Airlines doesn’t seem to agree with the Braxtons’ stance an now the airline has clapped back.
Delta Claps Back:
In wake of all the drama and the social media uproar, a representative for Delta Airlines has responded to the video. While Tamar and Towanda have accused the airline of discrimination, Delta is telling a different story. According to People magazine, Delta Airlines is defending the pilot citing the airline’s safety protocols. It has been reported that Delta has responded to the accusations with a detailed statement about the incident that has occurred.
“It’s crucial for the safety of every flight for customers to be willing and able to follow crew instructions. When these customers exhibited some unusual behavior and refused to acknowledge our flight crew’s instructions, the captain addressed them directly to ensure the safety and security of the entire flight,” a representative for Delta told PEOPLE in a statement.
Towanda, our employees reflect our culture of treating all people with dignity and respect, and if we aren’t doing that, we aren’t doing our job. We’re looking into it now. Please DM here for additional assistance. *HCJ https://t.co/6iDGBJRMTU
— Delta (@Delta) July 28, 2018
However, the airline didn’t stop there. After Towanda’s blasting statement on Twitter, Delta responded to her tweet directly. That statement was also made in defense of their pilot. “Towanda, our employees reflect our culture of treating all people with dignity and respect, and if we aren’t doing that, we aren’t doing our job. We’re looking into it now.”
