The conservative media ecosystem is capitalizing on Americans’ enthusiasm for air travel to foment opposition to corporate diversity programs. Despite the fact that their claims are largely based on falsehoods, this effort could raise the salience of culture war issues early in the 2024 election year. or misleading information.
In recent weeks, right-wing influencers, politicians, and media outlets have repeatedly attacked airlines’ efforts to find more female or non-white job candidates, and the program has become increasingly popular within major companies. Known as equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Some of their attacks have received millions of views on social media and have been picked up by Republican politicians.
But widespread criticism of the airline industry program and speculation about its impact do not reflect reality, airline employees who spoke to NBC News said.
On Fox Business, a former Federal Aviation Administration employee claims that airlines haven’t changed their standards and that DEI efforts are about finding jobs for which people are qualified but are being overlooked. Without citing specific incidents, he argued that airlines’ diversity efforts could lead to safety issues. candidates.
When a wheel fell off a jet plane on the runway in Atlanta last weekend. donald trump jr. was suggested There was no evidence that diversity efforts were to blame.
I am sure this has nothing to do with the diversity equity and inclusion practices mandated in the airline industry.
People will die and no one who regulates these things will give a 💩!
Without sheer incompetence, the wheels don’t just fall off the plane. https://t.co/huSo52uy95
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 23, 2024
And podcaster Charlie Kirk said this week that he can’t help but be biased against black pilots because some of them benefit from DEI programs.
“I’m sorry, but when you see a black pilot, you think, ‘Hey, I hope he’s qualified,'” Kirk said.
Despite the emphasis on airlines’ specific statements regarding diversity, DEI programs have not resulted in dramatic changes in the diversity of airline employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 92% of pilots and flight engineers are white and 92% are male.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of black pilots and flight engineers increased from 2.7% in 2018 to 3.6% in 2023. Asians decreased from 4.2% to 2.7%, and Latinos increased from 6.8% to 10.7%. According to the bureau, the proportion of women among pilots and flight engineers decreased from 9% to 8.3% from 2018 to 2023.
But the topic may be of interest to Republicans as they try to energize their voting base ahead of the 2024 presidential election. It could tap into widespread interest in news about air travel while appealing to long-standing conservative criticisms of things like affirmative action. Diversity Program.
Flight attendant and author Heather Poole said in an email that airlines are politicized because “travel is something everyone can connect with, regardless of race, gender, or economic status.” I think so.”
Fox, the Trump Organization and Turning Point USA did not respond to requests for comment.
Much of the criticism is based on misunderstandings and misrepresentations about DEI programs.
“We’re talking more about fishing in a new pond for talent,” Jessica Muench, United’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, told Crain’s last year. United Airlines’ Aviate initiative is pouring money into new training schools for pilots and mechanics who can’t attend traditional schools.
One statement in particular from the United CEO. scott kirby Misquoted on social media. Kirby told Axios in a 2021 interview that he wants 50% of flight school “classes” to be women or people of color. Flight school students are at the beginning of their careers, and it can take years before they are hired as pilots by major airlines, but some critics criticize the diversity. saying Kirby’s promise of 50% “jobs” was false.
United Airlines said in a statement to NBC News Thursday that its flight training standards are rigorous and have not been lowered.
“United Airlines is proud to maintain the highest standards in pilot employment, training, and safety practices. Every Airman who joins our crew must meet them. Exceptions “No,” the company said.
The FAA raised standards in 2013 after a fatal crash near Buffalo, requiring first officers to have the same 1,500 hours of flight time as captains. Last year, the FAA rejected a request to reduce work hour requirements.
Claims linking DEI efforts to safety issues border on the absurd, such as blaming diversity in employment for all the problems that occur near airplanes.in One In a post on X that has been viewed 1.6 million times, podcast host Joey Mannarino blames a “diversity hiring unit” for delays on the tarmac at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. insisted.
Mannarino backed up his concerns in a direct message to NBC News, saying he believes spending money on diversity efforts will preclude other considerations and improvements. “Imagine being able to offer free His Wi-Fi to all your customers if you weren’t busy funding things like this,” he said.
To some industry veterans, criticism of airline DEI programs is laughable and insulting. Especially since there have been no fatal accidents on U.S. airlines since 2009.
The Airline Pilots Association, which represents more than 77,000 pilots from U.S. and Canadian airlines, said in a statement to NBC News that the critics are wrong.
“Airlines are the safest means of transportation in the world, in large part because of airline pilots, professionals who follow the highest training and qualification standards,” the association said.
“While there are real threats to aviation safety, such as efforts to replace pilots with automation and lower standards of training and experience, opening the door to opportunities to ensure a reliable supply of qualified airmen , not one of them,” they said.
For decades, airlines have refused to hire qualified non-white pilots, even ignoring those with military experience. In a 1963 decision, the Supreme Court forced Continental Airlines to hire black pilots.
And in the decades since then, change has continued slowly. Ann Hood, a former flight attendant who wrote a memoir, “Fly Girl,” about her experiences in the 1970s and 1980s, said she had only seen one female pilot during her career, and one of the only pilots of color. He said that there were not even 0 people.
“Everyone in the cockpit was white,” she said in a phone interview. “I don’t think it was that long ago, especially considering the very short history of aviation.”
Brett Snyder, who has been writing about the airline industry since 2006 and runs the website Cranky Flier, said he sees no link between diversity efforts and safety.
“Anyone with even a basic understanding of airline operations and safety can tell you there is no data to support this,” he said in a phone interview. “This is an insult to the people who are brought into this industry and are made to feel like they don’t belong.”
Snyder said the industry is used to intense media attention, creating opportunities for those who push an agenda.
“Airlines are always in the news and people love to talk about them,” he said. “People trying to get an anti-diversity message will probably do what everyone else is doing and say, ‘Where’s the eyeballs?'”
From a 2017 episode in which a passenger was forcibly removed from an oversold United Airlines jet to a video about face masks early in the coronavirus pandemic, airline incidents frequently circulate on social media.
In 2021, there was a media uproar about airlines’ diversity efforts, with then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson and others saying airline executives would kill people if they continued with DEI programs.
“They suffer from an incurable brain disease called arousal,” Carlson said at the time.
But the chain of criticism is now at another level. Tech billionaire Elon Musk attacked DEI efforts in two posts about X this month, and two civil rights groups condemned his comments. Musk responded by calling these organizations “openly racist.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida; tweeted This month we reported, “DEI is destroying our nation’s major airlines!” He also recorded a podcast on the subject in November. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Libs on TikTok, an X account with 2.8 million followers, criticized airline DEI programs in more than a dozen posts this month. In a Tuesday post that received 2.1 million views, the account said claimed to be related It happened between a drag queen flight attendant and last week’s flight being canceled because a wing bolt was missing.
Reached for further comment, Libs of TikTok, run by conservative influencer Chaya Reichik, told NBC News in an email Thursday: Therefore, I will only respond to reporters who identify as Black, transgender, nonbinary, or Latinx. Unfortunately, it looks like you didn’t qualify. ”
Some of the conservative attacks on air travel have also extended to other hot-button political topics, such as immigration.
TikTok’s Libs posted at least three videos this month of alleged migrants, including young children, sleeping at airports, and the account expressed outrage at their presence.
“Which airport or school should I go to next?” 1 post Said. “This destruction of America is intentional and treasonous.”
Member of Parliament marjorie taylor greenthe Georgia Republican Party claimed in a congressional hearing this month that immigrants were flocking to airports.
“In the last few days, I just traveled to airports across the country. You know what I saw in airports? There are immigrants and illegal aliens everywhere in airports,” she said. Saidleaving social media users perplexed as to how she concluded the passenger was an immigrant.
Greene’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
GREENE: I just spent the last few days traveling to airports across the country. You know what I saw at the airport. Immigrants and illegal aliens are everywhere at the airport. pic.twitter.com/xEYQ9AnkPP
— Asyn (@Acyn) January 17, 2024
Right-wing influencers and even a Boston TV station entered the airport and filmed videos of people they believed to be immigrants. Ashley St. Clair helped start the phenomenon in December when she released a video of people boarding a flight from Phoenix to New York.She said many of them were carrying bags provided by immigration centers and her post 27.3 million viewsaccording to X.
St. Clair did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
After the January 5 crash of an Alaska Airlines flight in which a panel was blown off the Boeing plane, attention to airline DEI efforts appears to be increasing. It’s unclear whether the explosion was related to diversity efforts, but the pilots, at least one of whom was a woman, were praised for their calm handling of the situation. However, the incident drew intense attention to airline safety.
Comedian Rob Schneider was among those who fanned the flames of DEI criticism. Last year, he joked about non-white pilots on a comedy special, and this week on X he’s boycotting United Airlines and calling for the firing of Kirby, United’s CEO and supporter of diversity initiatives. Posted.Seen more than 4 million times.
According to industry blog View from the Wing, Schneider and TikTok’s Ribbs have criticized Kirby for appearing in drag at least once in the past, including at a US Airways Halloween party in 2011. It is said that the costume was worn as part of the company’s tradition.
Without evidence, Schneider linked diversity to a near-2022 crisis.
“A diverse but incompetent flight crew did not know which flaps were causing the near-disastrous situation.” [descent]’ he claimed.
Federal regulators said the pilot’s miscommunication caused the plane to lose altitude after takeoff and fall to within 748 feet of sea level. Both pilots had far exceeded the minimum flight time of 1,500 hours for certification.
A representative for Mr. Schneider did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com