ATLANTA (dpa-AFX) - Aiming to better prepare its employees, Delta Air Lines has decided to begin new diversity training for all of its flight crews after incidents of alleged discrimination against passengers, Bloomberg reported.
The report cited at least two widely publicized incidents where passengers said they were discriminated against or treated uncivilly on its flights.
In November, Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian banned a passenger for life for yelling in flight in support of Donald Trump. Prior to that, the airline had apologized to a black doctor who volunteered to help a sick passenger and was rebuffed by a flight attendant.
Starting in the second quarter, the company will train its 23,000 flight attendants to combat unconscious bias, the report noted. They join the Delta Air Lines executives who are already required to undergo diversity training. The Atlanta-based airline had made the training mandatory for its executives last year.
Keyra Lynn Johnson, managing director for diversity and inclusion, reportedly said that Delta's classes will use real and relevant scenarios and discuss unconscious bias and so-called microaggressions. This is well beyond the typical cross-cultural training.
According to the transportation agency, incidents of reported discrimination climbed 37 percent in the first 10 months of 2016 to 74.
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued new guidelines for airline personnel on nondiscrimination. It also issued a document for passengers, explaining their rights.
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