In a staff memo posted on the airline’s website on Monday (November 28), Delta chief executive Ed Bastian said the individual “displayed behaviour that was loud, rude and disrespectful to his fellow customers.”
“He will never again be allowed on a Delta plane,” Bastian added.
The passenger in question was filmed delivering the controversial outburst during a flight from Atlanta to Allentown, Pennsylvania last week.
His address is reported to have included slurs towards Hillary Clinton supporters – branding them “Hillary B*tches”.
In a video posted on Facebook the man is shown shouting at fellow passengers.
“Donald Trump, baby,” he says while standing up and clapping his hands. “We got some Hillary b*tches on here? Come on, baby. Trump!”
Posted by user, Emma Baum, the recording has gained more than 2.3 million views on the social media site.
Baum told the Allentown-based newspaper, The Morning Call, that she witnessed the man shouting pro-Trump phrases in the terminal in Atlanta while waiting to board her flight.
Onboard the aircraft, she told the man she had been out of the country recently and asked him about the US Presidential Election result, this was when he began jumping out of his seat and shouting “Donald Trump…it’s your president. Every goddamn one of you. If you don’t like it, too bad.”
The statement released by Delta follows criticism of the airline on social media for its lack of action to deal with the abusive passenger, The Independent reports.
Social media users highlighted the contradiction that the man, who is white, was not ejected from the aircraft, despite the fact that in the past, passengers who are Sikh, Muslim and African-American, have been kicked out of flights due to safety concerns following complaints, The Independent continued.
“I also want to make sure all of you know we have your backs,” Bastian continued in the memo.
“The heightened tension in our society means that now more than ever we must require civility on our planes and in our facilities. We must stay true to Delta’s core values and treat one another with dignity and respect.
“We also must remain committed more than ever to the safety of our customers and our crew members. We will not tolerate anything less.”
