Danisha Finley Morrison was flying American Airlines when she saw a sticker on the pilot’s luggage that said: “Let’s Go Brandon.” The flight was from St. Lucia to Miami and it was a Saturday. She didn’t believe the pilot would have an alt-right phrase expressing disappointment in President Joe Biden because it’s offensive.
After a NASCAR reporter misinterpreted the crowd’s chant, “Let’s Go Brandon,” as “Let’s Go, Brandon,” the phrase became a calling card among Trump supporters. The reporter thought the audience was shouting “F*** Joe Biden,” but they were actually chanting “Brandon.” Someone seized on the opportunity to coin it and made it an internet sensation among alt-right followers in September 2021.
Dana Morrison was not eager to have a pilot who dismissed 2020 election results. She desired someone who travels by facts rather than beliefs.
Morrison tweeted to American Airlines: “Y’all cool with your pilots displaying this kind of cowardly rhetoric on their crew luggage when they’re in uniform, about to board a plane? We are not the only passengers who noticed and were disgusted.”
The airline replied: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we want to get this to the right team. Please DM any additional details.”
By sharing her conversation with American Airlines on Twitter, Morrison allowed the public to see how the airline was reacting to the Let’s Go Brandon sticker. In one of the airline’s messages, they said how upset they were, explaining that “We hold our team members to the highest standards and expectations.”
The reason behind these expectations is that pilots and cabin crew are only permitted to wear preapproved badges or pins. The Let’s Go Brandon sticker was in direct violation of the airline’s rules. Furthermore, at one time, pilots were only allowed to wear three pins.
American Airlines is currently investigating one of its pilots after a sticker was found on their personal vehicle. The sticker in question promotes disinformation, and the backlash from members of the alt-right community has been especially loud given that, in September 2020, American Airlines announced its decision to allow employees to wear the Black Lives Matter pin.
“American Airlines believes in equity and inclusion for all. Light of the appropriate attention to the lives of Black Americans, we will allow team members who wish to wear a Black Lives Matter pin to do so if they choose. We Believe in Black Lives Matter. While American isn’t expressing support for specific organizations, we stand in solidarity with the movement for equality and justice for Black Americans who continue to experience racism and discrimination.”
The airline has gotten into a lot of hot water for investigating the sticker.
One person said: “Will never fly American again if you discipline an employee for having a political opinion.”
