American Airlines reportedly kicked a mother and her two-year-old son off of a flight when the child refused to wear facemask.
Most U.S. airlines require children over two-years old to wear a facemask, according to the ABC News report, and all passengers were forced off the plane because of the incident.
“Rather than get themselves any bad press by escorting a crying mom and two year old off the plane, they forced everyone to deplane, and wouldn’t let us back on the flight home. Apparently before we got off the plane everyone who left before us lit up the crew in the gate area,” Rachel Davis posted on Instagram. (RELATED: American Airlines To Cut 5,000 Jobs, Despite $25 Billion Bailout)
“I tried repeatedly, begged him, bribed him, pleaded with him, did everything I could while he was screaming and crying as I tried to hold him and put the mask on, feeling my absolute lowest of lows as a mother,” Rachel Davis, added.
Mother, 2-year-old removed from flight because child wouldn’t wear mask https://t.co/ojc10yn7Fi pic.twitter.com/pmsPVqbbV3
— The Hill (@thehill) September 21, 2020
The latest incident comes on the heels of Southwest Airlines removing a mother and her tw0-year-old son because he would not wear a mask, according to a report from USA Today.
“It was very cold and cruel,” fellow passenger Taylor Cournoyer told ABC . “This wasn’t an issue of a grown adult not complying out of spite because they don’t agree with masks — this was a child. And it was not a bad, irresponsible mom either — she was crying and trying to keep the mask on and asking the flight attendants for help and advice on what to do.”
“To ensure the safety of our customers and team, American Airlines requires all persons 2 years and older to wear an appropriate face covering throughout the entirety of their travel journey,” American Airlines said in a statement. “Policies are enforced and approved face coverings are made available at key points throughout the customer journey. We’ve reached out to the family to learn more about their recent travel experience and to address their concerns.”
American Airlines recently announced that it would be forced to furlough 19,000 workers as of Oct. 1, if it did not get federal assistance, CNN reported. The news came after 12,500 employees agreed to retire early and another 11,000 for furloughs in October.