A man planning to fly to Provo didn’t get to his destination over the weekend after a fight broke out on his flight before takeoff because the man refused to wear a face mask.
A Utah baker captured some of the fight, and flight attendants’ efforts to remove the man from his seat, on video that she posted on her Instagram account Sunday.
Rylie Lansford, who operates Baked by Rylie in Lehi, said it started when a man behind her on the plane — Allegiant Air flight 607, boarding in Mesa, Ariz., and bound for Provo on Saturday — was told by a flight attendant that he needed to wear a face mask during the flight. The airline’s policy, instituted in the effort of preventing the spread of the coronavirus, requires passengers to wear masks that cover the mouth and nose on flights, and on the ground at the ticket counter and the gate areas.
“He was not having it,” Lansford said on a second Instagram post, in which she talked about the confrontation.
The man was wearing a face shield, and “he was being really rude and condescending,” Lansford said.
After the flight attendant walked away, another man, sitting a row ahead, started shouting at the unmasked man behind him, Lansford said. The second man demanded the first man put on his mask, and was angry and swearing a lot, Lansford said.
The second man was eager to get the flight moving, Lansford said. “He kept saying, ‘My mom is in hospice. I need to get home,’” she said.
Ultimately, a second flight attendant — who apparently had dealt with the man on a flight the day before — returned with other people to remove the first man. Then, Lansford said, “all hell breaks loose,” and the two men started taking swings at each other. Lansford, who had been seated next to the second man, stepped away from the action, and started recording on her phone.
The first man was removed from the flight, and a woman who apparently was with him also left. The second man remained, and the flight took off, Lansford said.
Lansford said that a flight attendant later told her, “Oh, you get a glimpse into what we deal with.”
A spokeswoman for Allegiant Air directed queries about the passenger to the Mesa Police, who did not immediately return a call Monday.
In a statement to news outlets, Allegiant repeated its policy on wearing face masks during flights: “Face coverings must be made of a solid material, fully cover the mouth and nose, fit snugly against the face, and be secured under the chin. Prohibited coverings include those with exhalation valves, holes (such as lace or mesh), neck gaiters, and bandanas. Face shields may be worn in addition to a face covering, but not as an alternative.”
