Delta Airlines has found virtue-signalling can prove quite costly. Especially when a company allows a teenager with no life experience tell them what to do. Earlier this week, the company listened to David Hogg and announced the end of their NRA member discount program in the aftermath of the Parkland, FL school massacre. As if . . .
the NRA ordered those deputies not to enter the school on February 14th while the killer slaughtered those defenseless victims in a “gun free” zone.
Unfortunately for “The World’s Most Trusted Airline,” the Georgia legislature took a dim view of corporate-level social justice activism against the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. Especially when said corporation received a big, fat tax break from Georgia taxpayers.
So the Peach State politicians voted not to renew Delta’s fuel tax exemption, costing the airline about $40 million dollars. Per year.
Now, we learn that only 13 passengers ever used Delta’s NRA discount. From USA Today:
How many airline passengers does it take to kill a $40 million tax break for Delta Air Lines? Only 13.
The Georgia legislature removed a jet-fuel tax break from a larger tax package Thursday. Lawmakers were upset that Delta, which is headquartered in Atlanta, dropped the National Rifle Association from a discount-fare program in an effort to appear neutral on gun policy.
After the firestorm, Delta will review all its marketing programs to avoid those that might become political, CEO Ed Bastian announced Friday.
But the airline said only 13 passengers ever bought tickets with an NRA discount. That translates into each discount costing the airline about $3 million in tax breaks.
Proving once again that NRA members join to help protect their natural, civil and Constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms, not for a trivial discount on coffee. Or airline tickets.
In even worse news for the company, in the four days since the company’s NRA-dumping announcement, the company’s stock price nose-dived 4.6%.
Time will tell if other virtue-signalling corporations like Enterprise Rent-A-Car, True Car, SimpliSafe and Met Life will feel similar effects of their short-sighted decision to end NRA discounts.
One thing remains constant though, The People of the Gun have long memories.