A passenger was removed from a Delta Airlines flight for wearing a t-shirt depicting former US president Donald Trump flipping the bird and a reference to the “hawk tuah” girl video, said a report by New York Post.
The incident took place at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport on Saturday morning.
The male passenger was wearing a black t-shirt showing Donald Trump in American flag-colored sunglasses holding up two middle fingers.
“Hawk tuah spit on that thang,” the t-shirt reads in reference to the R-rated video.
“I’m getting kicked off because of my shirt,” the man said as he walked down the aisle with his luggage, as per the report citing a post in the Reddit group r/delta.
“And this is her reporting — stupid-*** Wendy,” he added after reading the name tag of the female flight who was escorting him away.
According to the report, before boarding the Delta flight, the passenger was asked by an airline staff to change the t-shirt or be barred from the plane following a complaint by someone.
After that, he turned the t-shirt inside-out and the entire flight boarded.
“Next thing I know, right before take-off, a Delta employee comes on the plane and escorts him off the flight, he had flipped his shirt back to the decal side,” the report quoted the Reddit post.
Airlines are allowed to remove passengers from their flights when deemed necessary.
“in Delta’s sole discretion for the passenger’s comfort or safety, for the comfort or safety of other passengers or Delta employees, or for the prevention of damage to the property of Delta or its passengers or employee,” according to Delta Airlines’ Contract of Carriage.
A passenger can be removed when their “conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers” among other behaviors and conditions.