At the time, the implications of such a reality were not entirely clear to the public, only coming to light this week when the Religion News Service reported that: "Jews and Israelis, or passengers carrying any non-Islamic article of faith, will not be able to fly code-share flights from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia under Delta Air Line's new partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines that is set to begin in 2012."

So, not only would Jews and Israelis not be able to board these flights, but articles of faith such as Bibles, would not be permitted, and if you choose to attempt to bring them in, they would be confiscated upon your arrival in Saudi Arabia.

This is not entirely shocking. Saudi Arabia, an Islamic country, has long held very strict guidelines dictating who and who may not enter the country. A Visa is required for all visitors and is denied to many. Should you receive and sign their official visa application, you are bound to "respect Islamic rules and customs."

One such custom may be of large interest to women. To travel to Saudi Arabia, women must be dressed in accordance with "Islamic standards of modesty" and must be travelling with a man, or else be met at the airport by a chaperone.

Anyone with an Israeli stamp in their passport, even if the stamp was acquired in transit is not permitted entry to the country. Many believe that passengers with Jewish names are immediately denied entry. The visa application does include a religious affiliation box.

So why the uproar against Delta, and why now? Could it really be that American citizens could be denied entrance on to an American airline carrier based on religious affinity?

The bottom line answer is yes, but before you get upset, you should note that this policy is not strictly Delta's. Delta insists on the same requirements that every other airline travelling to Saudi Arabia does, and Delta, as well as every other airline with this route will deny boarding to anyone who does not comply with Saudi Arabian entry requirements. And let's be honest, Israelis, Jews, and many others - do not comply by mere fact of existence.

VirtualJerusalem spoke to a customer service supervisor for Delta, a man named Mike. We explained that we were Jews booking a business flight to Saudi Arabia and had "some concerns." The supervisor quickly dismissed the claims as, "inaccurate reporting," and elaborated upon their protocol.

"We have to honor restrictions and rules. And one of the rules is that you cannot go to Saudi Arabia with an Israeli passport or Israeli stamp in your passport. It's all about the Saudi entrance requirements. They've had that rule in there for a long time. It's not the only Muslim country that does, most of them do. And we can be charged tens of thousands of dollars if you get to Saudi Arabia and you're denied entrance."

He went on to explain that the protocol is identical for all airlines, and that KLM and Air France (both members of the SkyTeam) have been flying to Saudi Arabia in partnership with Delta for years, under these exact requirements.

"It's nothing new, really. The bottom line is, you won't board the plane if you don't meet the requirements. Your name could be anything, it could be O'Reilly - and you still could be refused if you have an Israeli passport stamp. We don't discriminate."

While this may be true, many say that the matter is more one of principle. Why would an American carrier choose to join forces with such an entity?

Kenneth Bandler, the American Jewish Committee's Director of Communications told the Huffington Post that "Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, should be strongly condemned for its despicable discrimination against Jews... For an American company, our nation's values should trump narrow business interests. Delta should be the first to reject Saudi airlines as a SkyTeam member."

Delta has not given a direct response to this point; however, they issued a formal statement saying that Saudi Arabia has in fact met all the requirements to join the SkyTeam, an airline alliance consisting of 14 airlines (Saudi Arabian Airlines makes 15).

The official release from Delta on this matter:

We've gotten questions today from you, our concerned customers, following an article about Saudi Arabian Airlines joining SkyTeam (the global airline alliance that includes Delta as a member). After listening to many of your thoughts today, we'd like to take this opportunity to share some information and help to clarify some of the questions we know you have.

First and foremost, I think one of the most important things to mention here is that Delta does not discriminate nor do we condone discrimination against anyone in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, or gender.

That said, some have raised questions about whether Saudi Arabian Airlines' membership in SkyTeam means Delta is adopting any type of policies that could present barriers to travel for some passengers, including Jewish customers. For this particular concern, it's important to realize that visa requirements to enter any country are dictated by that nation's government, not the airlines, and they apply to anyone entering the country regardless of whether it's by plane, bus or train.

We, like all international airlines, are required to comply with all applicable laws governing entry into every country we serve. You as passengers are responsible for obtaining the necessary travel documents, such as visas and certification of required vaccinations, and we're responsible for making sure that you have the proper documentation before you board.

UPDATE: Many news organizations have since updated their report on this matter. USA Today appears to have pulled the original article they released that said that Jews would not be permitted to fly on Delta, citing "incomplete information." The article page now directs readers to a new post with the headline "Airline to Jewish rumor: 'Delta does not discriminate." - An interesting title to say the least.

by T. Sevorai