NEW YORK- A long-serving Delta Air Lines (DL) flight attendant has filed a retaliation lawsuit after a missile attack near Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) in May 2025. The crew had just arrived from New York JFK when air raid sirens forced them into a bomb shelter.
The plaintiff, veteran crew member Mark Shannon, says he reported safety and fatigue concerns but was later suspended and terminated after contacting federal authorities about how Delta Air Lines (DL) handled the incident.
Photo: Clément Alloing
Delta Attendant Lawsuit Follows Missile Strike
Court documents describe how Iran-backed Houthi forces fired ballistic missiles toward Israel on May 4, 2025. One missile broke through defenses and landed close to Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), sending smoke into the air and halting flights.
According to the filing, Delta Air Lines pilots even recorded an eight-second video of missiles overhead moments after landing.
Shannon and fellow flight attendants were taken to a bomb shelter where they remained for about two hours.
The filing says they viewed the video and listened to accounts of past attacks, which Shannon claims caused severe distress. He had worked for Delta for nearly ten years and says this experience left him traumatized.
Photo: Clément Alloing
Dispute Over Crew Rest and Safety Concerns
Once authorities cleared operations, Delta Air Lines instructed the crew to deadhead back to New York on the same aircraft, despite their recent 10.5-hour duty period.
Shannon told the airline he was too fatigued and fearful to board, citing missile activity near the crew hotel area.
The lawsuit says he was told to arrange and pay for his own hotel, transport, and return travel. He later recorded about 3,500 dollars in expenses and says he missed special event pay granted to other crew members involved in the incident.
Reported by PYOK, Shannon believed the airline was retaliating, so he contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Representative Photo: Delta Air Lines
Suspension and Termination After Federal Complaints
In August, Shannon says Delta summoned him to what he thought would be a meeting about reimbursement. Instead, he was suspended and had his credentials removed.
Less than a month later, he was terminated. The airline alleged that he failed to follow safety protocols, disrespected leadership, harmed crew cohesion, and did not cooperate with a security debrief.
Shannon argues these claims served as a pretext for retaliation after he contacted federal regulators. He also alleges race discrimination as an African American employee.
Photo: N i c o_ Flickr
Relief Sought Through Court
The lawsuit states that Shannon believed immediate return duty violated FAA crew rest rules and created a safety risk in an active conflict zone.
He is not seeking reinstatement. Instead, he requests back pay, front pay, and compensation for emotional distress, pain, and suffering.
The incident occurred during a period of heightened security risk when Israel’s air defenses were intercepting multiple missile threats.
The case highlights the pressure on airlines and crew when operating flights to regions facing conflict exposure, as well as the regulatory focus on fatigue and duty time.
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