Delta flight attendant forces woman to change T-shirt because it was 'threatening'

A woman from San Francisco was forced to deboard a Delta Air Lines flight after a flight attendant deemed her T-shirt "threatening". The passenger was told to change her clothes if she wanted to get back on the flight, SF Gate reported.

The incident happened on Oct 16 when Catherine Banks, a Marine Corps veteran, was about to fly out of San Francisco International Airport. The attendant told her she needed to get off the flight.

Talking to Banks told NBC Bay Area (KNTV), Banks said that after she exited the plane, the flight attendant told her she needed to change her clothes because her shirt was “threatening".

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Banks' T-shirt carried a message about veteran suicide rates in the US which the flight attendant viewed as inappropriate. It read, "Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide."

Banks could not believe what she was hearing and told the attendant about her job.

"I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m a Marine Corps vet. I’m going to see my Marine sister. I’ve been in the Marine Corps for 22 years and worked for the Air Force for 15 years. I’m going to visit her,’" Banks said.

However, the crew member did not budge and she was forced to change on the jet bridge. Banks said that she wasn’t wearing a bra and so had to turn her back away.

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"He said, ‘I don’t care about your service, and I don’t care about her service. The only way you’re going to get back on the plane is if you take it off right now.'"

Banks was forced to sit in the back

The ordeal did not end here for Banks who was then forced to sit in the back of the plane despite paying extra for a seat with extra legroom.

The shirt worn by Banks is sold by Til Valhalla Project, a group that works for veterans. It helps families of veterans receive memorial plaques after their loved ones die, and also contributed towards therapy for struggling veterans.

Delta Air Lines's rules state that passengers can be removed from a flight if their "conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers."

The airline is reportedly looking into the incident.