FAQ
Why an air travel boycott?
Our boycott reflects the need for bold action to end the tyrannical Trump regime. Many successful protest movements over the years have featured boycotts, strikes, and other forms of economic noncooperation. We’ve chosen an air travel boycott because it: (1) can be sustained long-term (2) involves spending that’s often discretionary (3) has strong potential for economic impact (4) has climate benefits (5) relates directly to Trump’s abuses of power.
Those abuses began as soon as Trump returned to office. In his depraved response to the D.C. air collision of January 29, 2025, he blamed “DEI” in a typical display of callousness, bigotry, and dishonesty. Subsequently, his rollbacks of oversight and regulation undermined U.S. air safety, as confirmed by FAA workers and unions like PASS. In the year since, Trump’s authoritarian crackdown on immigration has turned airports into sites of fear and violence, and lured private airlines into abetting the program of mass deportation.
Boycotts of transportation have a distinguished history. The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the economic boycott of apartheid South Africa (which included a U.S. ban on incoming air traffic) are just two famous examples. More recent “Tesla Takedown” boycotts have made waves, too, and the refusal of millions of international travelers to fly to Trump’s America amounts to a powerful informal boycott. Finally, the phrase “Ground the Planes” invokes the emergency measures taken during other major crises, such as 9/11 and the COVID pandemic. It emphasizes that U.S. democracy is under threat—from a powerful fascist movement—and that we can’t continue business as usual until the threat ends.
How long will the boycott last?
Until the Trump regime ends.
Trump just won reelection: why try to kick him out already?
Trump is disqualified from office under the 14th Amendment’s Insurrection Clause, due to his January 2021 coup attempt (and the administrative coup he and Elon Musk attempted in 2025). As an insurrectionist, he was ineligible to “win” the 2024 election. Congress’s failure to honor the Constitution and bar him from office set the stage for our current crisis. Trump’s abuses of power since his inauguration have made him impeachable many times over.
If Trump leaves, won’t the GOP stay in power?
We believe the Trump-Vance regime is illegitimate, and that any just resolution to this crisis will involve a challenge to the regime as a whole (which might include 14th Amendment challenges to its legitimacy or an impeachment of Vance himself). In other words, we’re calling not only for Trump’s exit but for the disempowerment of his fascist movement.
What makes you think this boycott will work?
The global air travel industry rakes in about $1 trillion in annual revenue. Many other leading industries depend on it. This gives airline workers and customers a lot of leverage.
One important precedent here is Trump’s 2019 government shutdown. The AFA-CWA flight attendants’ union forced an end to that shutdown by threatening a members’ strike as well as a general strike. The fear of air travel disruptions made Trump fold once. It can do so again.
Another key precedent is the COVID pandemic (a Trump-mismanaged disaster), which showed the severe economic impact of even temporary slowdowns in air travel. COVID also revealed that billionaires will try to prevent any disruption to travel or commerce, even during global disasters. They need a baseline of normality in order to grow their wealth and prevent popular backlash. Our boycott aims to shake up that normality.
Will this boycott hurt the economy?
Trump’s corruption and instability threaten the economy far more than a single boycott.
Will this boycott hurt airline workers?
Trump is already endangering airline workers’ lives and livelihoods. We hope their unions will consider striking in solidarity with this boycott. After all, it was the AFA-CWA’s threatened strike in 2019 that helped inspire this protest in the first place.
Air travel is bad for the environment. Shouldn’t people just stop flying altogether?
Our boycott has environmental as well as political benefits, and anyone is welcome to participate for either reason or both. Expelling Trump would itself be a win for the environment, and it’s the goal we’re prioritizing right now.
What about people who have to fly because _____?
We’re here to encourage participation, not stigmatize non-participation.
We do hope that millions of Americans will see this as a sacrifice worth making. Americans of the WWII generation made many sacrifices—rationing consumer goods, going to work in factories, laying down their lives—to stop fascism abroad. Changing travel plans would be a small price to pay for stopping fascism here. We hope you’ll do it with pride.
How can I get involved?
Spread the word about the boycott. Tell your representatives about it, and tell them to call for an end to Trump’s presidency. Tell airlines the same thing. Ask for solidarity from airline workers’ unions. For ways to get started, see the Take Action tab above.