A Georgia man has filed a lawsuit against Delta Airlines, claiming a flight attendant slapped him during a dispute that began over a request for water for his young children.
Mohammad Shibli, who was traveling with his wife and two young sons on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Fresno, California, on July 29, alleges that the confrontation began when his 2-year-old son started crying for water shortly after takeoff. According to Shibli, a flight attendant refused to serve his wife during initial beverage service, prompting him to walk to the back of the plane to request water himself.
Shibli says the same attendant denied his request again, speaking to him in a “very disrespectful tone.” He ultimately received water from other crew members, who, he claims, apologized for their colleague’s behavior.
However, tensions reportedly escalated later in the flight when the same flight attendant returned and asked Shibli if he wanted water. He declined and asked to be left alone. Shibli says the attendant then asked if he wanted police to meet him at the gate — a statement he interpreted as a threat.
“As she walked back and forth to serve other passengers, she bumped into me,” Shibli said at a news conference Tuesday, standing alongside his legal team. “The passenger next to me, a stranger, even asked, ‘What’s her deal?’”
Shibli alleges the attendant then whispered a vulgar insult in his ear, prompting him to respond with profanity. In response, the flight attendant allegedly stepped toward him and slapped him across the face with an open hand.
“I was pleading to other flight attendants that I had just been assaulted,” Shibli said. “To my surprise, the Delta attendant continued serving passengers like nothing happened.”
Eventually, other attendants asked the woman to sit in the back of the aircraft, Shibli said. He described the remainder of the four-hour flight as “painful and embarrassing.”
“As a father, I looked helpless in front of my son. As a husband, I was humiliated. And as a passenger, I feared for the safety and security of myself and my family,” he told reporters.
Shibli’s attorney, Ali Awad, claimed the incident may have been racially or politically motivated, noting that Shibli’s wife was wearing a shirt with the word “Palestine” on it at the time. Awad cited previous accusations of bias against the airline, referencing a 2023 controversy in which Delta removed a social media post that had labeled Palestinian flag pins worn by crew members as “Hamas badges.”
Following that incident, Delta said the post did not reflect its values and confirmed the employee responsible was demoted.
Awad argued the latest incident was part of a broader pattern of discrimination and inappropriate conduct by Delta staff, asking, “Is this a single isolated incident, or is it a pattern of clear discrimination against Palestinians, a history of physical violence from Delta employees, and negligent hiring?”
Among the demands listed in the lawsuit are financial damages and mandatory sensitivity training for Delta employees regarding Palestine. “Delta ruined my client’s day,” Awad said. “And Delta, we demand a day of your profits.”
Delta told local news outlet 11Alive that the flight attendant involved has been suspended pending an internal investigation. The airline did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.