Video shows a Spirit Airlines flight attendant in Florida on Monday threatening to kick a family of four out of a plane – arguing that their 2-year-old girl wasn’t wearing a mask.
All passengers on the flight from Orlando to Atlantic City were eventually forced to disembark before being later allowed back on board.
In images posted on social media, a flight attendant told the Jewish family – including a toddler who sat on her pregnant mother’s lap and ate yogurt and a father who pulled down his mask to talk to the airline employee – that they had to get off the plane for “ non-compliance with the mask rules.
The father pulled his mask over his mouth and nose, but the Spirit staff member nodded to the toddler and said, “She’s not wearing a mask,” the clip said.
“The baby?” the mother replied incredulously.
A woman sitting next to them points out that “many children don’t wear masks”.
‘You sat next to me. Did I wear the mask all the time? Did I wear the mask all the time? said the father, pulling his mask down and up several times during the meeting.
‘I’ll make sure he wears it. Everything will be fine, ”said a man who seemed to be filming the interaction.
The mother said, “That’s just a child and a 2-year-old.”
‘It is not my choice. You have to bring your things and get off, ” the airline employee insisted, repeatedly saying that the family “ did not comply with the mask policy. ”
“We’re done talking. The pilot wants you out, so you have to get out, ”she said.
The mother kept pleading, ‘She’s a baby. She just turned 2 a month ago. She tried to wear it. “
The flight attendant threatened to call the police before running away, the video said.
Another video showed all the passengers packing up like the father someone tells“The captain was okay with it, the whole plane was okay, but there was one African American who disagreed.”
He also notes that his wife is pregnant, his daughter just turned 2, and his son, who was close by, has special needs and is experiencing seizures.
A third video showed officers in the walkway leading out of the plane, overhearing a female officer say, “They were the ones who were the problem,” as the family appears to be walking by.
Orlando police said they were called just before noon on Monday about a general malfunction aboard a Spirit flight from the airport.
“Upon arrival, agents saw that the flight was in the middle of disembarking. Our agents stood their ground while Spirit Airlines solved the problem, ”said a spokesman.
A Spirit representative urged The Post that it was the parents who violated the airline’s face-covering policy and that their violation had not been captured on camera.
The family was warned and allowed to re-board the flight and proceed to their destination, the representative said.
Some posts on social media and The Daily Mail alleged that a male flight attendant, who also reportedly had been involved in the feud, was kicked off the flight and “escorted” by police, citing a video of walking with a few officers in the terminal .
A spokesperson for Spirit explained that the employee actually just left because of a shift change.
“All that happened to the flight attendant was that after a two-hour delay, a crew change was required and someone captured the police who had come to the gate for the general situation locking the hall at the same time as this flight attendant. did. went on to their next assignment, ”spokesman Field Sutton told 101.5 in New Jersey.
Sutton told The Post, “There is no truth in claims that a flight attendant was ‘not allowed to come back on board’ or that the police became involved with a flight attendant. Orlando police have publicly stated that although they were present at the gate, they were not taking an active role in this situation. “
Spirit requires all passengers to wear a face cover over their nose and mouth, except when eating or drinking. Children under 2 years of age are exempt.