Tired of all those secular airlines? Not to worry! Enter Judah 1, a nonprofit aviation ministry that is set to become the world’s first Christian airline next year.
The small, currently-private airline is based out of Shreveport, Louisiana, where their small fleet of private jets shuttles missionaries to and fro. But next year, they’re seriously upping their game.
They’ll be “an actual airline standard” according to Judah 1 President and CEO Everett Aaron. That means official FAA certification and a handful of Boeing 767s. And they’ll have at least one perk that not even American and Delta can compete with.
Its primary goal: flying missionaries to and from their missions worldwide. Missionaries won’t have to pay any baggage or cargo fees – just airfare.
That’s right, a flight perk worth its weight in gold, given the airline industry’s penchant for nickel-and-diming customers at any opportunity.
For CEO Everett Aaron, this is a change decades in the making, and the fulfillment of a vision – both figurative and literal.
Jesus, Take the Flight Controls
“Judah 1 came about in 1994 when the lord gave me a vision,” Everett Aaron explains in a Youtube video uploaded in 2015. “He showed me airline aircraft lined up as far as you could see. They were full of food, medical supplies, Bibles.”
But in this vision, there were lines of patrons outside the planes unable to get aboard. God apparently told Aaron that this was his calling, to get those missionaries aboard those planes.
That's got to be a first in airline creation.
Now, a few decades later, Aaron is finally realizing that vision.
“We want to open our own flight school, we want to be able to train missionary pilots,” Aaron said. Eventually, all operations, from training to flying, could be handled in-house.
And their religious, non-profit status gives them at least one leg-up on the competition.
“We are allowed to go into countries that are locked down [during COVID], whereas normal airlines cannot,” Aaron explains.
And because they’re a non-scheduled airline, they’re not bound by earthly restrictions like only flying certain routes on certain schedules. “we can go where we want when we want,” Aaron said, “unlike most airlines.”
Have a Holy Flight
Judah 1 is hardly the first religious airline to exist. El Al is an Israeli airline that caters to Jewish customers, serves only Kosher meals on-board, and observes the Shabbat and other religious holidays. They’re also the only commercial airline whose planes are equipped with missile defense systems.
There are also a number of Muslim-oriented airlines as well, including Royal Brunei Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Iran Air. These airlines all observe Islamic dietary laws, meaning no pork or alcohol are served in-flight, and prayers are recited before most flights.
However, despite options for other faiths, there are scant few for those seeking an exclusively Christian flight experience. Judah 1, even in its modest form, is the largest Christian airline on the planet.
Still, for the immediate future at least, they'll only be flying missionaries (whose work continues during COVID, despite being targeted by critics over the risks of infecting indigenous tribes and wiping them out completely).
On God's Wings
But who's to say that won't change in the future? With Jewish and Muslim airlines, it's not such a far-flung idea to imagine a public airline with a uniquely Christian experience.
Out with the in-flight peanuts, in with the in-flight communion wafers. In-flight entertainment will forego the latest Hollywood blockbusters, and instead feature the latest and greatest from the PureFlix catalogue. Maybe they'll even have Chick-fil-A at the gate? Who knows.
And yet, while we kid, there might be something downright spiritual about touching the heavens and looking down on God's creation below in a plane full of fellow believers. To know you're all experiencing the same feelings - there might even be a solidarity in that.
What do you think? What, exactly, would a Christian airline look like? Would you fly it?
43 comments
-
Dan Anderson
This can't show up well in the church systems. Like what happened years ago, are they going to demand that one pilot not be a Christian in case of "rapture"?
-
Minister Mike
These guys have never flown an aircraft, filed a flight plan or looked beyond their own hallucinations. Can't wait for 'em to fly over some country's restricted air space or try to land at a destination not on their flight plan...what flight plan?
The entertainment value of this tale of lunacy is almost without parallel. 🤣🤣🤣😜
-
Mark Hannon
If God had wanted humans to fly God would have given them wings. Like birds and bugs. If traveling by boat was good enough for Jesus then it's good enough for me. Planes only stay in the are because of some fake science and built by atheist engineers.
-
Rob
I don't know about the rest of you, but to me this was all said with the tongue firmly in cheek.... And rather cleverly at that!
-
Brien
Thank you for not flying. I appreciate your views on this. Tell me, just how far does the fake science go? Television, radio, microwave ovens? How about cars, trains, motorcycles? What about pacemakers, the polio vaccine, or even electricity? This fake science is just everywhere huh? I agree. It was a much better time 2000 years ago. Maybe fake science can build us a time machine 😉 peace....
-
Woodrow
Jesus didn't need a boat, he walked on water and he didn't need wings, he translated wherever he wanted. Also we have angels with wings to watch over us and protect us. No charge, only believe and thank the Father.
-
Carl Bernard Elfstrom
That's right Woodrow, but angels won't take you where you want to go, although they might give you an inspirational thought about how to get there. The fastest way us human beings can get someplace is through flying, on a jet plane, a besom, Ali Baba's flying carpet, or through an oobe (out of body experience). If winged angelic critters carry you away into the sky it's time to check into a psyche ward.
-
-
Carl Bernard Elfstrom
If the science was fake, it wouldn't work, would it? And by calling humans them are you saying you aren't one of us?
-
Rob
I don't know about the rest of you, but to me this was all said with the tongue firmly in cheek.... And rather cleverly at that!
-
-
Daniel Gray
And your point is what? Are you mocking them or doing something even worse? You admitted that there were airlines catering to other faiths so why are you picking on this one?
-
Rui Silva
I was thinking the same thing.
-
-
Minister Mike
Wonder if they'll be booking flights to heaven. 🤣
-
CB Cuff
Since heaven is a stretch of the imagination, I doubt the planes could carry enough fuel.
-
-
Douglas Robert Spindler
I’m a missionary and so is my wife and children. We would like to reserve round trip first class to Hawaii, England, Italy and Germany to do our missionary work. I hope hotel accommodations will be included. What’s the phone number?
-
Brien
Well, maybe they can run their business better than the others. So, if we hold by the standard separation of church and state, that means no bail out money, right?
-
Ealdormon Piparskeggr Robinson
Unless this venture doesn't care about burning through money, I guess past failures of start up airlines means nothing.
I still think Æsop had it right these thousands of years ago; "The gods help those who help themselves."
-
Alexander Clarke
Proof that there is no limit to human stupidity.
-
CB Cuff
I liked the bit about "we can go where we want when we want...no earthly restrictions" .... not too damn likley. And why would you want to be flying into countries locked down due to CVID????? A small sign of either their immense ignorance, or an early April Fools joke. Sounds very Trumpian.
-
Robert A Stiff
Oh Boy, just what we need...an airline run by a man who has 'visions'.
-
CB Cuff
A Wing and a Prayer Airline.
-
-
The Right Reverend D. Batch
Hey, it's the Airline to be on if there is a Rapture!
-
Clay Serenbetz
This is sacrilegious
-
Lionheart
Don’t worry, the airline will be flying on a wing and prayer if it ever really takes off. I’m sure it will have Gods blessing if it does. He might even show up at last just to be the first passenger, but I doubt it. He didn’t even show up for things like the Holocaust to put things right, so I doubt he will.
🦁❤️
-
-
Carl Bernard Elfstrom
Here's a great slogan for them: Come fly to Heaven with us, on Juda 1. That way, if the plane crashes, like when the pilot takes his hands off the wheel, and raises them up while talking in tongues (also known as jibberish) they'll be covered. And while the plane is crashing they'll all be singing Spirit In The Sky, and Guantanamera. And they'll capture it on a DVD, which they'll show on future flights.
-
Mya-Lia Sharizyn
I'm not christian so I'm already banned from the perks one receives as an approved citizen.
-
Carl Bernard Elfstrom
I'm not Christian, and ban Christians from the perks I award to far better people.
-
Lionheart
I wonder if passengers of God Airlines will still need to go through security check points to filter out Christian criminals?
🦁❤️
-
Peter Craig McKee
I guess if I were flying this airline I would prefer Jesus to be the Pilot and not the Co-Pilot.
-
Lionheart
Wasn’t it Pontius the pilot that handed down his sentence of crucifixion?
Does Jesus even have a license to pilot a plane?
🦁❤️
-
-
Manley Chris Haver
pilot forced to tetire due to age. where do i apply. will they operate under a 121 or 125 certificate
-
John P Maher
I WILL WAIT FOR MICHEAL THE ARCHANGEL for MY FLIGHT, THANK YOU !
-
Milanko Djurdjulov
What's next??? Deacon Milanko. Remember we will all stand at the Dread judgement seat of God. I hope and pray for all our salvations. Jesus has warned us and was clear in his mission and massage. The road to Heaven is narrow and few enter but the road to Hell is wide and many enter. I myself prefer the straight and narrow,, and will try my best to pave the way. Do what's right, it's all there for the reading. Yours in Christ Brother Milanko.
-
Lionheart
So what was his “massage” as you mentioned? Neck and shoulders? I’m due for one but I doubt your god will show up and do it. He’s not one for showing up for anything is he? What’s his problem? You’d think a loving god would show up from time to time wouldn’t you, if even just to let us know he’s real. Oh well!!!
🦁❤️
-
-
Carl Bernard Elfstrom
I'll go to Heaven for the climate, and He'll for the company...anduch better music! When I was eighteen I peed on my bible and threw it in the trash. At 57 I would never do that again, for I've since learned that bible pages make better rolling papers.
-
Kenneth Roberts
You are a sick puppy
-
-
Lainey McKenzie
I worry about them spreading Covid and other diseases to people that don't have the ways and means to survive it. I think it is care-less to go all over the place all willy nilly trying to "save" people when they could be killing them.
Why do many humans impose themselves and their ideas on other humans, anyway?
-
Rabbi Ari Malachi Alexander Zukkerman
I am aware of the Jewish airline, I was not aware of the Muslim airline but don't see anything wrong with a Christian airline. If it will make people's flight more comfortable, then why not. There are lots of uncertainty these days about flying, when people are around their own, they can enjoy the experience and flying into hostile grounds is always upsetting for some. Good luck and enjoy.
-
Angel
“We are allowed to go into countries that are locked down [during COVID], whereas normal airlines cannot,” Aaron explains. my magic 8 ball tellsme there will be ALOT of "non-christians" taking advantage of this special privilage...You all can keep your covid-19, have fun with that!!
I would be wary of that. "Maintenance? Well, God has watched out for us so far, I'm sure we'll be safe."
No thank you. TOWER grounds flight due to stormy weather. Pilot disagrees stating “trust in the Lord, we are going”. Commercial business should NEVER built on any religious belief. Same for Governments. Faith can only be pure when separated from profits and power.
I also see it in the same way. Profits and power tends to corrupt religious faith.
I'm with you, I much rather not put my safety in the hands of god, I mean what if god happen to be in a bad mood that day.
I've got a top notch besom that will fly me anywhere I want to go, as long as I'm wearing a pentagram, instead of a crucifix, to which it would only sputter and die. I bet it won't take long for those Christian planes to do the same, for their whole religion is a lost cause that's sputtering, and about to die.