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Veteran sues JetBlue over travel ban impacting career

Veteran sues JetBlue over travel ban impacting career
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Gary Leff Chief Financial Officer | View from the Wing

A former Secret Service member and "highly decorated military veteran" claims he has lost his career due to a travel ban imposed by JetBlue. The individual, who served in the military for 23 years before becoming a Secret Service agent and later a Department of Health and Human Services investigator, alleges that the airline banned him after he informed flight attendants that he was lawfully carrying a firearm on a flight to Florida.

The veteran asserts that this ban has prevented him from traveling for work, as JetBlue holds the government contract for several routes he is required to fly. He contends that being unable to fly with JetBlue has effectively ended his career.

The veteran, who has been awarded the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal, describes the impact of the ban as having a "cascading and draconian effect on his life." He recounts an incident on July 18, 2022, when a JetBlue flight attendant claimed he failed to follow instructions regarding keeping his wife's dog under their seat during a flight from Washington National Airport to Fort Lauderdale. During this exchange, he informed the crewmember that he was "a legally armed federal law enforcement officer." Although an investigation by the airline concluded that he did not intend to intimidate the crewmember, he remains on their No Fly List.

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The situation raises questions about whether federal employees can seek alternative travel arrangements when banned by an airline holding government contracts. While typically required to use contracted carriers, federal employees may be able to obtain approval for alternative travel options under exceptional circumstances such as a carrier ban.

The broader implications of such bans have also been debated. Delta CEO Ed Bastian's suggestion that a ban on one airline should extend across all airlines has faced criticism for potential anti-trust and civil rights issues.

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