A man travelling on a Spirit Airlines flight from New York to Fort Lauderdale was asked to leave the flight after he removed his mask, USA Today reported.
A video shared on Twitter shows a law enforcement officer questioning the man for not wearing his mask. The man is heard saying in the video that he did not do anything wrong.
“There are witnesses here. The whole plane is a witness, I didn't do anything. Tell me why I'm not flying?,” he asks the officer.
The man said he was flying to see his father who had a stroke. The officer alleged that the man was in ‘passengers’ faces’, of which he denied.
“I did not get into nobody’s faces,” he said, before directing the questions to the passengers.
“Did I get into anybody’s face? Did I get in anybody’s face? All of these people on a plane. I did not get into anybody’s face. I have been sitting here waiting for you to come,” he said. (sic).
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/SpiritAirlines?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpiritAirlinesflight @LGAairport to @FLLFlyer #fortladerdale this man refuses to wear a Face Covering - man being #arrested for unruly behavior (Video: copyright) #WearAMask pic.twitter.com/eJQo1toQXW
— Martin Ogawa (@martinog)
One of the passengers can be heard saying: “Why can’t he go home?” in support of the passenger.
The man continued: “Why are you forcing me to get out of the flight. What did I do? I paid for the flight. I paid the extra money. I am staying on the flight. I am going to my father who had a stroke. I am not leaving the flight. Get a supervisor.” (sic).
The man was eventually removed. In another video, it revealed that the man was arrested. The wearing of masks is mandatory on Spirit Airlines as part of its coronavirus policy.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/LGAairport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LGAairport @SpiritAirlines Flight to Fort Lauderdale @FLLFlyer is now being arrested @nbc6- the passengers had to get off the plane. #WearAMask pic.twitter.com/kmbuJ0RR0f
— Martin Ogawa (@martinog)
The incident follows American Airlines removing Brandon Straka who was travelling from New York to Dallas, Texas in June after he refused to wear a mask on the plane. IANS reported that he was removed after he refused to wear a face-covering in compliance with its Covid-19 safety policy.
Straka took to Twitter to share his side of the story to his 399 000 followers. He called the experience “insane”.
“I was just removed from my flight for not wearing a mask. 1st time this has happened. Not a federal law. @AmericanAir staff standing over me telling me it’s THE LAW. So much for “please respect those who can not wear a mask”. When I pointed out this wasn’t a law I was removed.” (sic)
He said that he filmed the entire incident and went live on Twitter to share his experience. He alleged that an airline staff member told him that they did not have a right to question him about not wearing a mask.
American Airlines confirmed the incident to CNN, saying that Straka declined to wear a face covering. Two days before the incident American Airlines announced a stronger policy for customer face coverings as part of its commitment to the safety and well-being of customers and team members.