Here’s a twist.
A man was kicked off an Allegiant Airlines flight on Monday before it left Punta Gorda, Florida, because of a dispute over wearing a face mask.
The twist?
The passenger was asking a flight attendant to put her mask on, not the other way around.
It certainly was a surreal scene as the man kept asking the crew member why she wasn’t wearing a mask during her safety instruction announcement.
A Twitter user posted a video with the tail end of the confrontation showing the man being “thrown off @allegiant airline this morning from Punta Gorda Florida this morning because he asked the flight attendant why he had to wear a mask and she didn’t have to wear one.”
This old guy was removed from the plane on allegiant Airlines this morning from Punta Gorda Florida pic.twitter.com/I1X5T2BKOr
— Patrick (@peter61809160) September 7, 2020
A spokesperson for Allegiant Airlines told FOX News that the passenger was removed for violating FAA regulations by “repeatedly and aggressively disrupting the preflight safety briefing” after the flight attendant “briefly lowered their mask to speak into the public address microphone so that the announcement could be understood” by passengers who said they could not clearly hear the crew member.
“That’s when the passenger became disruptive,” the spokesperson said. “This was not an ‘ask.’ The flight attendant’s mask was back in place immediately following the announcement.”
Airlines have certainly taken their face masks policy seriously, as more than 700 passengers have been kicked off flights for not wearing their face coverings, a requirement for all phases of air travel. Allegiant noted that it provides every passenger with a mask and disinfectant wipes upon boarding.
