Catch is, there was never any policy stating passengers could not take pictures of crew staff. Especially on American Airlines who has since been in touch with Jeremy regarding the incident.

They kept citing policies around not taking photos of staff without consent, which I didn’t do. I understand not wanting to be in them, that’s fine. But surely you could ask vs detain?

— JDL (@photoJDL) October 28, 2022

Ross Feinstein, who used to work in the communications department for American Airlines, replied to Jeremy stating: “I can’t tell you how many times when I was at AA we communicated to crews (and to the regional carriers too), regarding the fact that passengers are allowed to film. We even updated content in American Way magazine (when it still existed!).”

Since Friday the airline has opened an investigation. Twitter users continue to tweet Jeremy that he should take legal action against the airline for unlawful detention.

In general, in the United States, there is no law stating that passengers can not take photos of staff in the aircraft cabin. Most airlines do not even prohibit general photography. Even if this were a law, it still would not justify detaining a passenger over a camera phone picture.

However, in other countries, it could be considered an invasion of privacy to not ask for consent before taking a picture. In the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, it is against the law.

pilot