Veteran Forced Off Flight Over ‘Threatening’ Shirt Told By Crew They ‘Don’t Care About Her Service’

Dec 18, 2024

A woman aboard a flight on the American airline Delta was left shocked after she was asked to disembark before takeoff. Catherine Banks, a United States Marine Corps veteran, boarded the flight from San Francisco International Airport on Oct. 16, 2024. Not long after, a flight attendant approached her and requested that she disembark from the plane and change her shirt if she wanted to stay on the flight. 

The reason for the unusual request? The flight attendant took issue with Banks’ shirt, deeming it “threatening.” Banks recalled the commotion over her attire to NBC Bay Area, saying:

“A male flight attendant was saying, ‘Ma’am, ma’am.’ I looked around, like, ‘Who was he talking to?’ And it was me. He said, ‘You need to get off the plane,’ and I was like, ‘What did I do?’”

Despite not knowing exactly why she was being forced off the plane, Banks complied with the request. She only found out the reason why when they reached the jet bridge. According to the veteran, the crew told her:

“He said that shirt you’re wearing is threatening.”

Naturally, this created curiosity about what was written on the shirt. Well, Banks’ shirt read:

“Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide.”

Banks recalled her utter shock and the exchange that followed. 

“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.’ 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.’”

Faced with no other choice, Banks had to change her shirt. However, her experience only got worse as she had to turn away from the flight attendant while she changed since she was not wearing a bra. While the experience was humiliating for her, she was also disappointed in the flight attendant’s lack of regard for the meaning behind the shirt. 

“I feel like they just took my soul away. I’m not a bad person, and that T-shirt, I should be allowed to support myself and veterans,” Banks said.

The Til Valhalla Project sells the T-shirt as part of its initiative to support veterans by covering their therapy expenses and helping family members of deceased veterans pay for memorial plaques for them. As a veteran, this cause meant a lot to Banks. 

While she was eventually allowed back on the plane, she could not reclaim the original seat she had booked with extra legroom for comfort. Instead, she was relegated to the back of the aircraft. Also, as a result of the initial delays, she ended up missing her connecting flight. She told NBC that Delta later reached out to her to make amends. In response, Delta’s spokesperson said:

“Delta is seeking to make contact with the customer directly to hear more so we can begin to look into what occurred.”

Delta reserves the right to force passengers to deplane for various reasons. According to its contract of carriage, it can do this if a “passenger’s conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers.” 

Delta’s spokesperson later told People magazine:

“The matter with the customer has been resolved…we are thankful for her service to our country.”

Do you think Delta was justified in forcing Catherine Banks off the plane to change her shirt? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to friends and family to get their opinions on the story as well.