On Friday morning, a group of Orthodox Jewish schoolgirls was removed from the Delta Air Lines Amsterdam Schipol Airport because they were allegedly eating Kosher food other than what Delta had set.The 18 girls were escorted by police from New York JFK to confront allegations that they had violated strict Coronavirus health rules and removed their masks in order to eat their own food.Aimiguel Angel Sanz via UnsplashIsraeli media outlets reported that the girls were part a larger group consisting of 50 Orthodox Jewish passengers traveling from Ukraine to New York City using Dutch airline KLM. They made a brief stopover in Amsterdam before connecting onto a Delta Air Lines flight.Some of the group ate their own food after boarding their connecting flight in Amsterdam. However, they didn't stop when flight attendants reminded them that they weren't allowed to eat beyond designated meal times and that they should return their masks.Delta Air Lines claims that the girls were not compliant with the flight attendant instructions, and were removed from the flight. Delta flight DL47 left Amsterdam more than two hours late Friday because of the incident. The Airbus A330 aircraft arrived in JFK at 2:14 PM.Ground agents refused to book the group on another flight that would have brought them into New York prior to Shabbat.A local Jewish charity transferred the group to Antwerp to enjoy Shabbat with an Orthodox Jewish community.All passengers on U.S. registered aircraft and flights bound for the U.S. must wear a mask. Passengers are permitted to take off their masks for certain reasons, including eating and drinking.It does not say that food or drink should be consumed only at specified times. The girls were eating Kosher food that was prepared according to very strict guidelines. This is not what would have been possible during Delta's normal service.Delta was contacted for more information.
