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Passenger booted from flight for not wearing mask
A Spirit Airlines flyer was booted from a plane at New York LaGuardia Airport for refusing to put on a face mask.
The male passenger had worn the face covering but took it off and refused to wear it again.
Spirit crew called for Port Authority police to assist after he refused to put it back on after repeated requests.
The incident was filmed and uploaded online.
"The whole plane is a witness, I didn’t do anything," he is heard saying.
"Ultimately, the man chose to deplane on his own instead of risking legal consequences," Spirit said in a statement.
"Spirit will always err on the side of caution when it comes to the health and safety of our guests."
The flight was headed to Fort Lauderdale.
After a brief standoff the man got off the plane without further incident.
There have been at least two other incidents resulting in passengers being kicked off flights for refusing to wear masks.
US airlines have issued warnings that passengers refusing to don face coverings may be banned from future travel.
Airlines such as American and United no longer block off the middle seat and are selling flights to full capacity. adding to the anxiety of air travelers.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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