JetBlue ‘sorry’ after mislabeling Israel as Palestine on in-flight map

JetBlue says it will switch map vendors, after in-flight map erases Israel in favor of Palestine.

By World Israel News Staff

JetBlue issued an apology for displaying an in-flight map which mislabeled Israel as Palestine, but avoided taking responsibility for the error.

“We’re sorry for the concern this has caused. We can assure you that no one on the JetBlue team was involved with drawing or labeling the map of the region and we were not previously aware of the issue,” the airline said in a statement to Hebrew-language news outlet Ynet, after a report on the map.

“After a careful review, we have decided to switch to a new map vendor. While our content provider works on making this transition, we have also asked the current vendor to adjust our onboard map so that it aligns with the U.S. government’s map guidance for the region,” JetBlue added. “We are making these changes as quickly as the technology allows.”

The controversy began when an Israeli woman took a screenshot of an in-flight map, which showed the text “Palestinian Territories” superimposed over the word “Israel.”

“The label was prominently displayed in a way that didn’t seem innocent,” said Israeli Hodaya Knafo, who documented the issue on a flight from Miami to San Diego.

“Additionally, the borders were incorrect,” she added.

Knafo, who studies in the U.S., said it was yet another act of anti-Israel activism following a year full of similar incidents.

“It’s really quite annoying and frustrating to see this after the year we’ve been through,” she said.

“I’m returning to my studies in a month, and I already know that I’m returning to a battlefield.”

In April 2024, JetBlue banned Paul Faust from flying on the airline after he expressed concern with a pin reading “Free Palestine” worn by a flight attendant.

Once the flight landed, the crew retaliated against Faust, falsely claiming that he had posed a threat to order on the aircraft.

The police were called, but Faust left the airport before their arrival.

Later, he found that his return flight had been cancelled by JetBlue.

After his story went viral, the airline apologized and claimed that it would no longer allow its crew to wear “personal” pins on their uniforms.

“We hope with these actions we can welcome him back onto a JetBlue flight in the future,” the company said.