Ejected: Mum's humiliation at being kicked off flight
A mum has revealed she felt “super humiliated” after being kicked off a flight because her toddler pulled down his mask to eat a snack.
Mum Jodi Degyansky and her two-year-old son were sitting on a flight due to depart to Fort Myers in Florida for Chicago on Saturday.
As they waited for takeoff, her son decided to have a snack.
The mum said she was approached by flight attendants after the plane had pushed back from the gate and was taxiing to takeoff.
Speaking to Fox 5 Vegas, she said there was “no heated discussion” but the flight soon returned to the gate and they were asked to leave.
“I’m super humiliated,” she said, adding her son replaced his mask once the attendants approached her.
“Flight attendants kept coming over asking if we would wear it for the full flight, and I said he would,” she told NBC.
“It definitely was a struggle but something we’re working on.”
She said she tried her best to keep the mask on her son’s face but they were eventually told to leave the flight.
“A couple minutes later, we were pulled back into the gate and I was asked to leave the plane, accompanied by the manager, the supervisor, the flight attendants and the pilot,” she said.
The airline said they are investigating the incident, but stand by their mask policy.
Ms Degyansky has been given a refund by Southwest Airlines for her tickets.
“If a customer is unable to wear a face covering for any reason, Southwest regrets that we are unable to transport the individual,” a spokesperson from Southwest Airlines told NBC.
“In those cases, we will issue a full refund and hope to welcome the Customer on-board in the future, if public health guidance regarding face coverings changes.”
They later flew back to Chicago on a different flight on Saturday night.