Here’s another addition to our mask absurdity file, this time on a Frontier Airlines flight. A flight was cancelled after an incident that purportedly began when flight attendants demanded an 18-month-old wear a mask. Frontier claims “multiple people” were not compliant with its mask policy.
Frontier Flight Cancelled After 18-Month-Old Could Not Keep Mask On
A family was traveling from Miami (MIA) to New York (LGA) yesterday evening on Frontier Airlines flight 2878. They were traveling with their 18-month-old son, who is not compelled by either Frontier Airline policy or federal mandate to wear a mask.
As one witness explained:
“We were all on the plane when they came on and saw the 18-month-old baby without a mask.”
(They meaning flight attendants)
Video below shows the parents of the child explaining to the flight attendant that their son was less than two years old and therefore not required to wear a mask. Apparently, that was not good enough for Frontier and the family was told they would not travel.
Disturbing incident the last hour on a @FlyFrontier flight as staff told a Hasidic couple to get off because their 18 month old had no mask. Applause is heard as the couple started leaving. Travels say on camera that the applause came from staff who also cheered that “we did it.” pic.twitter.com/rA2JQmI1tU
— OJPAC (@OJPAC) March 1, 2021
In a second video below, you can see another man defend the other family:
An Orthodox Jewish person spoke up in defense of the Hasidic couple. Then the whole family siblings and in-laws started leaving the plane at which point the @FlyFrontier ordered everyone off of the airplane. pic.twitter.com/N1OwqxFI3Q
— OJPAC (@OJPAC) March 1, 2021
Frontier Airlines claims that “multiple people” including “several adults” refused to wear masks.
Multiple people, including several adults, were asked repeatedly to wear their masks and refused to do so. Based on the continued refusal to comply with the federal mask mandate, refusal to disembark the aircraft and aggression towards the flight crew, local law enforcement was engaged.
I see no aggression (though I do see righteous anger) and I don’t see anyone without a mask (though the one man above has it below his nose).
CONCLUSION
Perhaps the crew had already had a long day and was not in the mood. Perhaps what happened before the video implicates the family. Whatever the case, cancelling a flight over the mask incident either suggests many were non-compliant, as Frontier suggests, or that many protested the unfair removal of the family, creating a very uncomfortable situation onboard.
In any case, asking an 18-month-old to wear a mask is simply absurd.
(H/T: View from the Wing)
While I understand the reason for the mask mandates, I wonder how long people are going to tolerate them if incidents like this continue to pop up
The people will not shut up and obey forever, especially if the FAs are not enforcing the rules as written, but are making up their own
I completely understand why the crew would not have felt comfortable operating the flight. However justified the discord amongst the passengers may have been (and, to your point, we don’t know the full story), once passengers won’t comply with instructions to sit down, start making accusations of anti-Semitism and compare the crew’s actions to Nazi Germany, there was reason for the crew to believe that the flight could not be operated safely.
When the person defending your mask situation can’t manage to wear a mask properly, you’ve got problems.
Very interesting considering they were Hasidic Jews. Given the route (Miami to New York) and the airline (a low cost carrier) there were certainly more “Red Sea Pedestrians” on board. But the cheering aimed at this family does appear to be anti-Semitic. For goodness sakes, the girl was 18 months old. My guess is that the folks on the flight assume that because they are Hasidic, they probably live in non-socially distanced multigenerational household in Williamsburg and are higher risk. But still, it’s just a kid.
The question I think to myself repeatedly lately is “Is your travel really necessary?”
If it means even avoiding the possibility of this too, then no.
I have missed flying … for both work and leisure. It’s been over a year for me. But, honestly, everything I’ve read about flying during this period on LALF makes wonder why anyone would want to set foot on an airplane in this environment. It sounds to me like all of the fun has been sucked out of it.
I agree. I’m looking at wide open Christmas award flights in Business Class but thinking what’s the point if half the enjoyment, the food, is going to be plastic wrapped.
Stick to facts. We know you are against mask. Your bigotry is showing. BoardingArea should be made aware of such behavior.
Well, when you decide to fly Frontier that is what you can expect.
but their elites get snack boxes in economy!
Loooool
I agree it’s pathetic from the way you report it but who knows what really happened onboard. If that crew is based in NYC, I bet they’d want to fly back home.
It’s unfortunate this happened.
From what I’ve read thus far, wear the mask while boarding and before departure. That’s the time when crew tend to be the strictest in terms of following the rules.
18 month olds are not required to wear a mask. This is not a mask compliance issue. This is a making up the rules issue
No, it’s a raising a ruckus about something that does not involve you, making baseless accusations of anti-Semitism and failing to comply with crew instructions issue. That’s what got the flight cancelled. The family being removed may or may not have been following the rules, but that is not relevant for why the flight was cancelled.
So, you are saying that when you see someone being treated unfairly, you should shut up and pretend to not see anything?
Explains why the country is in the state that it is
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
The people complaining were at the front of the plane. The family was seated in the back. They had no idea why the family was being asked to leave other than what they heard from others (a.k.a. hearsay). Don’t make a ruckus about something with which you have no direct involvement. If they witnessed the incident then they would be in a position to say something. And even then, their complaints crossed a line that gave the crew a reasonable basis to doubt the safe operation of the flight. Simply put, regardless of the merits of removing the family, the other passengers are why the flight was cancelled.
Unbelievable. Hey could take some lessons from here in Australia, where children 12 years or younger are not required to wear masks.
*They could
Ok I guess since we’re going for “mask vigilantism” these days, then it must have been that the crew unjustifiably targeted an 18mo old exclusively and NO ONE else had their mask off.
Hopefully if you report enough of these anecdotes we’ll become so upset that we’ll just do away with all masks. I mean isn’t that the whole point?
That…kind of makes sense.
It does seem funny that this issue is suddenly trying to become a hot topic here.
You are not a journalist. And this is a perfect example of click bait crap, that has no foundation in facts in order to manufacture outrage. Here’s the fact, a large group of Hasidim decided they were not going to wear masks including several ADULTS. After repeated warnings they refused to comply and were asked to leave the plane because they were disruptive.
It’s their fault the flight was cancelled.
But please, lay off the fake outrage. These folks behaved deplorably.
And stop using selective cell phone camera footage without the full context. It’s unethical.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/us/frontier-airlines-face-masks.html