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Two airlines said this morning that they are ending travel partnerships with the National Rifle Association amidst a greater public backlash against the organization.
United and Delta had set up discounts with the NRA ahead of the organization’s annual convention in May, which would offer members anywhere from 2 to 10 percent off their flights to Dallas.
In a Tweet, Delta says that it’s reached out to the NRA to end the discounted rates through its group travel program, and that it’s asked the organization to remove its name from its travel website. Similarly, United Airlines tweeted that it will no longer offer its special rate for the meeting and also requested that it be removed from the travel website.
Delta is reaching out to the NRA to let them know we will be ending their contract for discounted rates through our group travel program. We will be requesting that the NRA remove our information from their website.
— Delta (@Delta) February 24, 2018
United is notifying the NRA that we will no longer offer a discounted rate to their annual meeting and we are asking that the NRA remove our information from their website.
— United Airlines (@united) February 24, 2018
The NRA has faced a consumer backlash following a school shooting in Parkland, Florida last week that left 17 people dead. Companies such as Symantec, First National Bank of Omaha, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and others have also ended their discount partnerships with the organization. The NRA’s travel page still lists the airlines as partners for its convention.
Unlike other organizations that have severed ongoing partnerships with the NRA, the airlines were offering one-off travel discounts for group members. A spokesperson for Delta told ThinkProgress that these types of contracts are routine for groups of 10 or more are “routine,” while United said it does not have a partnership with the organization, and that its discount was a standard policy. While these might have been standard arrangements, that both airlines are backing off helps show the considerable controversy that the NRA has attracted in the days since the attacks.
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