JetBlue airlines hit with 'anti-Semitism' accusations after calling the police ... trends now
Budget airline JetBlue called the police on a Jewish passenger and accused him of 'causing a disturbance' after he objected to a flight attendant's Palestine flag pin, the aggrieved flier has revealed to DailyMail.com.
Paul Faust, 54, said he quietly made a complaint about the pin to a supervisor on the plane – but when he landed a uniformed official demanded to see his ID, claimed he caused a disturbance, called the police – and then then canceled his return flight.
Faust, who is Jewish, is accusing the airline of 'blatant antisemitism' over the incident.
A JetBlue spokesperson said they are investigating what happened.
In an exclusive interview, Faust said he was flying to Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday when he noticed a female flight attendant was wearing several pins, including a Palestine flag and a Black Lives Matter badge.
Paul Faust, pictured with fellow passenger Rachelle Almagor on the JetBlue flight, has accused the airline of anti-Semitism
Faust, who is Jewish, told DailyMail.com he was offended to see a female flight attendant - who has not been identified – flaunting a Palestinian flag pin on her uniform during the flight
The airline attendant was wearing several pins, including a Palestine flag and a Black Lives Matter badge
The Parkland, Florida-based telecoms entrepreneur told DailyMail.com that he wasn't happy seeing the flag, but didn't want to cause trouble so kept quiet about it – reasoning that he had something equivalent: a visible Jewish tattoo.
But he said that when the crew member put on an apron for serving drinks and moved the Palestine pin on top so it still showed, he took it as a deliberate provocation.
'I walked up to the front and said to the lead attendant, 'I just wanna tell you I'm a frequent flier, and it was upsetting that she wore that, and that she only changed that pin to the front of the apron, not the others,' Faust told DailyMail.com.
'She said 'okay, I'll speak with her.'
'I said: 'I don't want there to be an issue. Maybe speak with her after we leave the plane. Just talk about how it was maybe a little insensitive, it made me feel a little uncomfortable.'
'I went back to my seat. I said nothing to this flight attendant the entire flight.'
But while disembarking, Faust, a father of two and volunteer firefighter, said the attendant pointed him out to another JetBlue staffer in a yellow vest, who started to grill him.
'He goes, 'Sir! I need to speak with you.' Faust told DailyMail.com. 'So we go to the top of the ramp. I go, 'What are you speaking about?' He said: 'The disturbance you caused on the airplane.' I said 'I don't know what you're talking about.'
'He said 'I'm going to need to see your ID. Our pilot called down about the disturbance you caused.' I said 'I didn't cause any disturbance. I'm not giving you my ID.'
Faust said it was only after the crew member put on an apron to serve drinks and moved the Palestine pin on top to ensure it was still visible, that he felt provoked
When the plane landed in Las Vegas, Faust claims, airline staff stopped him as he disembarked, to grill him over what they described as a 'disturbance' he caused (stock image)
'He said, 'I'm gonna call Las Vegas Metro PD.'
