ATLANTA- Delta Air Lines (DL) has informed its flight attendants that they cannot prevent passengers from taking photos of them, following recent controversies.
One incident involved a Delta flight attendant photographed wearing a Palestine flag pin onboard a Boston to West Palm Beach flight. The photo went viral, prompting Delta to quickly update its appearance policy, allowing only U.S. flag pins.
Delta Flight Attendants Pictures Policy
In a memo titled Our Approach to Customer Photos/Videos, Delta acknowledged receiving employee requests to restrict unauthorized photography, citing a thorough review of its policy, as flagged by PYOK.
The airline concluded that, generally, flight attendants and customer-facing staff cannot stop passengers from taking photos or videos, nor is this grounds for removing a passenger from a flight.
The memo clarified Delta’s stance, explaining that most passengers capture their travel experience as part of their journey, similar to how employees might document their travel.
Delta stated its obligation as a common carrier, meaning it must transport any paying passenger who agrees to its contract of carriage. The airline emphasized that, unlike other businesses, it cannot impose conduct restrictions that contradict public transportation laws and regulations.
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No Law prevent Inflight Photography
Delta Air Lines, after consulting its legal team, reviewed Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and clarified that while passengers must comply with certain crew instructions, the FARs do not authorize flight attendants to restrict photography.
Delta noted that, unlike private businesses with no-photo policies, airlines operate under specific regulatory limits.
However, Delta added a critical exception to this policy: flight attendants will receive company support if photography compromises safety or security.
For example, if recording “interferes with the safety and security of flight or disrupts employees and customers,” flight attendants can instruct passengers to stop and may remove them from the flight if necessary.
The memo instructs flight attendants to focus on de-escalation and to seek support from ground teams or pilots before taking action. While attendants can ask passengers to respect their privacy, they cannot enforce a no-photo rule or remove someone solely for taking a photo or video.
Delta has also updated its Onboard Experience webpage to reflect this policy: “We recognize that capturing content is a standard part of customers’ travel experiences. However, content capture should not interfere with the safety or security of flight, fellow customers, or our employees. We ask that you are mindful of including Delta employees in that content and respectful in your intent.”
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