One Spirit Airlines flight attendant is calling out a passenger for donning an ‘illegal’ neck gaiter as his face mask.
According to reports, the flight attendant threatened to call the police on the passenger. And that’s because his face covering lacked two layers of protective clothing.
The startling incident took place on board the budget carrier aircraft, late last week. Furthermore, the rather intense clash appeared on social media, thanks to a fellow passenger’s video recording.
Ever since reaching out to millions, the video went viral in seconds. And that gave birth to a new debate amongst viewers. Meanwhile, many people stood by the flight attendant. On the other hand, it wasn’t uncommon to see others taking the passenger’s side.
For many, neck gaiters are adequate protective coverings that can be pulled over the mouth as well as the face. Hence, they seem to be good enough for domestic flights.
But what really struck controversy is how the gaiter donned a stars and stripes design. And that meant many people would have no choice but to point fingers towards the flight staff as an ‘anti-American.’ However, the bias accusation received no attention from the airlines and was immediately shut down.
During the video, viewers witness the flight attendant’s poor attempt at requesting the passenger to wear his face mask. In particular, it’s a face mask offered to the passenger by the airline. Unfortunately, the passenger responds by claiming that he’s already covered in the face covering.
And that’s when a hot argument begins with the attendant scolding the passenger. ‘No, what do you have underneath it? That isn’t legal to wear at all,’ she exclaims.
The passenger abruptly snaps back with, ‘Legal by who? What is wrong with my mask?’
Therefore, the quarrel continues and the attendant explains how the passenger’s neck gaiter isn’t in accordance with CDC’s guidelines. And for that reason, ‘authorities’ will wait for him as the plane lands.
In the end, the passenger explains how he’s traveled by air with the same gaiter, at least 20 times. Above all, he never faced any problems until today. And that’s when the video cuts off. Hence, we’re not quite sure how the sticky mess ended and whether or not he got arrested.
However, what we do know is that the airlines stand by its crew member. They claim that CDC doesn’t find gaiters effective at providing enough protection during these drastic times.