If Alaska State Senator Lori Reinhold (R-Eagle River) plans to get around her constituency and to the state capital to conduct official government business, she better not count on flying Alaska Airlines.
Reinbold is officially banned from the airline.
“We have notified Senator Lora Reinbold that she is not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy,” Alaska Airlines spokesman Tim Thompson told the Anchorage Daily News on Saturday, adding that the suspension was effective immediately.
But Reinbold said she had not been notified of a ban and that she hoped to be on an Alaska Airlines flight in the near future.
Last week, according to reports and a social media post, Reinbold was caught arguing with Alaska Airlines staff at Juneau International Airport about mask policies, with crew apparently telling her she must cover her nose and mouth.
“I was reasonable with all Alaska Airlines employees,” she said, adding that she was able to board the flight to Anchorage.
Whether she’ll be able to use the airline again remains to be seen. Alaska Airlines was one of the first, if not the first, carriers to implement a mask policy even before the federal mandate, and Reinbold has been in opposition to the policy for more than a year now. At one point last year, she called Alaska Airlines crew members “mask bullies” after being asked by flight attendants to wear a mask aboard a flight. The Daily News noted that after the incident she reportedly sent a cake to some flight attendants bearing the inscription: “I’m sorry if I offended you.”
Alaska Airlines is the only carrier in the state to run a flight between Juneau and Anchorage.
