 |
| Saudi Airlines airplane |
A Saudi airline was slammed because it prohibits Israeli nationals from flying on their airplanes even when flying to and from New York, according to a report in the New York Post.
Saudi Arabian Airlines reportedly discriminates against citizens of Israel by refusing to let them fly from U.S. airports.
For customers, who book tickets online, the website of the airline has no dropdown menu for anyone with an Israeli passport, even though there is a dropdown menu for citizens of Antarctica. The airline seems to prevent Israeli travelers from passing through Saudi Arabia as well.
"No city in the world has closer ties with Israel than we do, and yet Israeli citizens are being discriminated against here at John F Kennedy International Airport. It’s not only illegal, but it is an affront to what we are," mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio, who conducted a recent sting against the airline, said.
When he called the airline trying to book a ticket from JFK to Mumbai, India, he identified himself as an Israeli passport holder, he was told by an agent that he would not be able to fly.
"Since you have Israeli citizenship, you will not be allowed to go on Saudi Airlines," the agent said after a consultation with a supervisor.
Federal law mandates that an air carrier or foreign air carrier may not subject a person in air transportation to discrimination on grounds of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or ancestry.