A viral video purports to show the moment an Allegiant Airlines passenger was kicked off of a flight for allegedly refusing to remove his “Let’s Go Brandon” face mask.
The video was posted to TikTok on Tuesday by @dgotch and has so far received more than 150,000 views. Libs of Tik Tok also shared the video to Twitter, where it has amassed over 452,000 views. Additionally, thousands of commenters across both platforms said that Allegiant Airlines should be “ashamed” of the flight attendant’s decision to remove the man from the plane.
“This guy was reportedly kicked off a flight because he had ‘let’s go Brandon’ written on his mask and refused to change masks,” Libs of Tik Tok tweeted.
In the video, a flight attendant can be heard asking the man to “change [his] mask.” The two go back and forth but when it becomes apparent the man will not comply, the flight attendant moves aside and tells him to leave.
“I’m gonna have you leave the aircraft,” she said as he continued to ask questions. Eventually, the man gathers his belongings and exits the plane.
In a statement to Fox Business, Allegiant Airlines said that the passenger was removed for “disregarding instructions from flight crew members,” which the company said is “prohibited by federal regulations and is grounds for removal from a flight where such conduct creates an unsafe environment.”
“The decision to remove a passenger is never made lightly and is always done with the safety of our passengers and crew in mind,” the statement continued. “In April, the FAA adopted a zero-tolerance policy against unruly passenger behavior, which includes failure to comply with crew members’ instructions.”
Newsweek previously reported that the FAA adopted its “zero-tolerance policy” after noticing a “disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior.”
The FAA has already documented 394 reports of unruly passengers this year, according to the administration’s website. Of those reports, 255 have been related to facemasks and 123 have sparked investigations.
“The repercussions for passengers who engage in unruly behavior can be substantial. They can be fined by the FAA or prosecuted on criminal charges,” the administration reminded.
“As part of the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill, FAA can propose up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases. Previously, the maximum civil penalty per violation was $25,000. One incident can result in multiple violations,” the administration continued.
Despite the policy, however, many commenters were quick to slam the flight attendant’s decision to remove the man from the flight.
“Allegiant should be totally ashamed…” wrote TikTok user RealSAVguy.
“The whole let’s go Brandon thing is stupid but it doesn’t warrant being kicked off a plane,” tweeted Logan.
Chalabala/istock
