Allegiant Passenger Asks FA to Wear Mask, Removed from Flight
Allegiant Airlines removed a passenger from a flight after asking a flight attendant to keep a face mask on.
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Allegiant Airlines is facing some negative publicity. The ultra low-cost carrier removed a passenger from one of its flights for “being disruptive.” That’s according to the airline in a statement obtained by Newsweek.
Flight Attendant Removed Mask
Apparently, the man interrupted the safety demonstration “repeatedly” because the flight attendant continually lowered their face mask to speak. The airline confirms this, telling Newsweek that the FA had “lowered their mask for speaking into the PA so the briefing could by understood.”
This is just bizarre.
While Allegiant was the last U.S. carrier to require face coverings, all passengers and crew have been required to wear face masks for a couple of months now.
(Source: Allegiant Airlines)
So Who’s at Fault Here?
We don’t have video evidence of the altercation, so we have to rely on what witnesses and the airline are saying. We know that Allegiant removed a passenger who was wearing his mask. And we know the FA was removing their mask to speak. The airline has already made its statement, and it’s clear they want to shift blame to the “disruptive” passenger.
But there’s also some video evidence from passengers on the flight. You get the idea that the man’s fellow passengers were on his side. He was following the airline’s own rules (i.e.; wear a mask), and the flight attendant was not.
The passenger that was removed from the flight should not have interrupted the safety briefing. Airplanes are generally safe spaces to begin with. The air flows from top to bottom, not front to back. So you’d have to be very close to an unmasked person to have any worries. And really, a minute or two without a mask is less an issue than prolonged exposure.
But the passenger was elderly and thus, by definition, in a high risk group. I can’t entirely blame him for trying to protect himself.
Speaking through Masks
Moreover, why would flight attendants assume they can’t be heard through their masks? We speak through masks all the time in our everyday lives. I never thought this would be the norm, but we’ve learned and adapted. People can’t see our lips moving, so it’s more important than ever to enunciate and speak clearly. But that’s it. Flight attendants speak on a PA for a living and should be doing this anyway.
But if it’s a really a problem, there’s a simple solution: Drop out of sight to read the script while the other FAs do the actual demonstration. Or better yet, Allegiant could simply do a pre-recorded announcement.
Final Thoughts
Without video evidence, it certainly appears that the flight attendant and Allegiant handled the situation poorly. They punished the one person who spoke out in defense of his and his fellow passengers’ safety. It sounds to me like the FA was made to look foolish and doubled down on a mistake.
So there you have it. Allegiant Airlines removed a passenger who was wearing a mask and asked a crew member to follow policy.
A few months ago, I got pulled over for speeding. It was my first ticket in Alabama, where I’ve lived for 20 years. The state trooper came over to the passenger side, where my wife was sitting. Without wearing a mask, he stuck his head in the window and started talking.
My first reaction was said without much thought: “Sir, would you please put on a mask?” I’m sure it guaranteed me a ticket, but when he came back to the car, he was holding a mask over his mouth and nose. I apologized, but politely explained: He was far too close to either of us to NOT be wearing a mask. (And yes, we were wearing masks for HIS safety).
Like the elderly passenger on Allegiant Airlines, we stood up for our own safety. While I got a ticket (deserved), the state trooper listened and responded appropriately. If only the Allegiant flight attendant had done the same…
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