VINnews & COLlive
A flight attendant on a Ryanair flight to Tel Aviv repeatedly described their destination as Palestine, according to witnesses.
Shocked Israeli passengers traveling from Bologna, Italy to Ben Gurion Airport in Lod said the flight attendant said they were bound for Palestine multiple times, in both Italian and English.
Shortly before the plane was set to touch down, the attendant announced over the intercom that they were “approaching Palestine,” according to Channel 14 News.
Some passengers reportedly spoke up and asked her to either correct herself or apologize. Their requests were shot down, and stunningly, the crew accused the passengers of creating a disturbance that endangered the safety of the flight.
“We didn’t [buy tickets] on the airline to deal with anti-Zionist opinions [from flight staff],” a passenger said. “All we wanted was [an announcement] that Tel Aviv is in Israel.”
One passenger who tried to take a picture of the attendant was told that she would be arrested upon landing if she left her seat.
“It is wholly unacceptable that on a flight from Italy to Tel Aviv, a member of Ryanair staff would repeatedly broadcast their own political ideology over the facts by stating that the flight in question was landing in Palestine, rather than in Israel,” said Jackie Goodall, executive director of the Ireland Israel Alliance, according to World Israel News.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted: “If @RyanAir considers Tel Aviv to be in Palestine then perhaps they should only do business with the Palestinian Authority. Israel and Israelis can make their own way to and from the Jewish state.”
“How would Ryan Air react if their flight attendant on a flight to Dublin announced multiple times that passengers would soon be arriving in the United Kingdom?” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Simon Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean and Global Social Action Director.
CEO of Ryanair Eddie Wilson sent a letter of apology to the Simon Wiesenthal Center on Thursday.
“It is not Ryanair policy (or our crew practice) to refer to Tel Aviv as being in any country other than Israel,” he wrote. “The crew member in question has been spoken to and received a warning to ensure that such an error is never repeated. Israel is an important partner for Ryanair. We are Israel’s second-largest airline, and we plan to continue to invest in Israel to grow traffic and connectivity both for Israelis traveling to Europe and also to bring much-needed inbound tourism to Israel.”
Welcoming the apology, Rabbi Cooper said, “Everyone is entitled to their opinions but not to alternative facts.”
warning for a hate crime… how to fine this comapny and ban the entire crew from coming ever to Israel?
Even before this nasty episode, it wasn’t a great airline
Apologies are great for papers that go into the garbage.
Stopping these things require action. That will have financial repercussions. Talk their language.
BOYCOTT THE AIRLINE FOR A WHILE AND TEACH THEM A LESSON.
Why is everyone so good at boycotting Israel & Jews for every nonexistent thing they do and we sweetly accept apologies that are worthless and DO NOT HELP???
“passengers reportedly spoke up and asked her to either correct herself or apologize. Their requests were shot down, and stunningly, the crew accused the passengers of creating a disturbance that endangered the safety of the flight.”
A warning does not cut it!
The letter said that the flight attendant apologized but in truth, she did not.
IF THE APOLOGY WAS SINCERE WHY HAVENT THEY FIRED THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT?
TIME TO BOYCOTT RYAN AIR FOLKS