New York – Ultra-Orthodox men and women caused over a one hour delay on a Delta flight Monday night at JFK airport when they de-boarded the plane rather than sit next to members of the opposite sex.
Haaretz (http://bit.ly/127d8c9) reports Delta flight 468 from New York to Tel Aviv was delayed when the Haredi passengers de-planed and their baggage removed.
This is one of many flight delays over the last month occurring with ultra-Orthodox passengers refusing to sit next to the opposite sex. Several El Al flights were disrupted or delayed, prompting a petition to circulate requesting that El Al put a procedure in place to stop the harassment of women by ultra-Orthodox men on flights to Israel.
El Al has stated it has no plans to establish a policy for dealing with this situation.
Information taken from Haaretz