In a viral video hitting Twitter from the account @libsoftiktok, it appears that Allegiant Air removed a paying customer from one of their flights due to his facemask which allegedly bore the words “Let’s Go Brandon“, a well known Anti-Biden slogan. In the video, the man can be seen arguing with a flight attendant who mentions the mask specifically as the “comment you’ve written on there”.
This guy was reportedly kicked off a flight because he had “let’s go Brandon” written on his mask and refused to change masks. @Allegiant employee claims it’s an “FAA regulation” pic.twitter.com/4ipRbqggEB
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) February 16, 2022
The ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Flight Video Breakdown
The 89-second video opens with the flight attendant asking the passenger, “I’m going to ask you to wear a different mask please.”
The passenger responds “Yeah, but can you tell me why exactly?”, she responds “Because of the comment that you’ve written on there”. According to the post but not visible on the video the man had allegedly written “Let’s Go Brandon” on the mask’s front.
The man then objects saying “But I’m allowed to express anything I want. I’m gonna need you on Camera”, to which she responds by adding a threat, “So, I’m going to ask you to put a different mask on or I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
The passenger then asks “So, is that in violation of my rights?” and then the hammer comes down as the attendant tells him “Its… its… this is an FAA regulation and I’m asking you to leave.” At this point, the man appears to be recording the interaction and he challenges the attendant “What’s the FAA regulation that says I can’t…(Garbled)”
The Allegiant employee again began “Sir, I’m going to ask you to change your mask, could you please put the phone down? I do not give you permission to film me. Put the phone down.” The man unintelligibly objects and she orders him to leave the aircraft, as he states “I just want to know why.” and she repeats the order. “Sorry I’m just asking why.” he continued. He then asked for her name and she reiterated that she did not give him permission to film her. The passenger then reiterated “This is a violation of my rights.” as he stood and complied with her order pulling down his bags. She then followed him up the aisle and off the plane.
In a statement to Fox Business, Allegiant Airlines did confirm that the passenger was removed for “disregarding instructions from a flight attendant”
“The video in question depicts part of an incident involving a passenger who failed to comply with repeated crew member requests to adhere to the federal face mask policy,” the statement said. “The passenger was removed from the flight and issued a refund for his fare. Disregarding instructions from flight crew members 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. In April, the FAA adopted a zero-tolerance policy against unruly passenger behavior, which includes failure to comply with crew members’ instructions. We welcome the FAA’s renewed strong stance on unruly passengers, understanding the safety risk such incidents can create for both passengers and crew.”
In other words: ‘Sit down, shut up and do what you’re told or we’ll kick you off of the plane.’ Allegiant Airlines did not confirm precisely how the man was being “unruly” in order to invoke the FAA regulation nor what role the writing on his mask played in the decision to deplane him. But the video of an authoritarian ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’ policy in effect is all you need to see to understand what happened here.
