In defense of their actions in Orlando Florida on Monday, Spirit Airlines just released one of the most dishonest statements they can possibly write.
As YWN published earlier, an Orthodox Jewish couple and their two children, one of them a special needs 7-year-old child, were thrown off a flight because their two-year-old child was not wearing a mask while eating a yogurt as she sat on her mothers lap. The entire episode is well documented on viral videos (POSTED BELOW), where the flight attendant tells the parents “non compliance, and you need to get off.”
“But we are wearing masks!”, the parents tell the flight attendant, to which she replies “she’s not wearing a mask” – as she points to the innocent toddler eating her yogurt.
But now, Spirit Airlines calls media reports such as YWN – “incorrect information”.
The statement says that the flight was delayed “due to the adults in a party not complying with the federal mask mandate”.
Did Spirit Airlines bother watching the footage of the flight attendant pointing to the toddler and clearly stating “she is not wearing a mask?”
So who is getting fired at Spirit Airlines today?
The flight attendant who was not allowed back on the plane, despite everyone – including the family who was kicked off – back onboard? Or the person who drafted and published this blatantly false statement on Twitter?
UPDATE: Minutes after publishing our article, Spirit Airlines deleted their tweet.
https://twitter.com/SpiritAirlines/status/1379194653921177618?s=20
YWN has published quite a few articles about Spirit Airlines.
Multiple Orthodox Jews told YWN they were banned from the airline for no reason at all. No reason was ever given.
But the couple today is in good company.
Just two weeks ago, YWN published a story about Spirit Airlines threw a 4-year-old autistic child WITH A DOCTORS NOTE off a flight for “no mask”. The child had a “medical note from his physician stating that he’s exempt from wearing masks because whenever he wears a mask he holds his breath or he starts freaking out and he will harm himself.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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16 Responses
Expected statement from Spirit. I personally believe the family and don’t believe the airline. But I was not there and it is possible the attendant misspoke when she implicated the child. You cannot tell from these after the fact videos.
With the father briefly removing his mask to speak as seen in the video, Spirit can claim this was the adult who was not complying even though in the video it seems like they were complaining about the child…they can can claim the decision was made after the father removed his mask…..
Keep giving your $ to Spirit sheeple.
I don’t know why anyone would fly with them
The mother was quoted by the New York Post as pleading that the baby had “just turned 2”.
The policy of the airline is that only children under 2 are exempt.
Parents with special needs children are supposed to submit am ADA Medical Exemption Form 3 hours before the flight and provide a negative Covid test.
All of this is on the Spirit websight.
Boycott
Usually not a fan of airlines doing unfair things but in this instance, there seems to be more to the story. Their employees claim they asked to have the child mask earlier several times, which is not captured on video. It’s highly probable that this happened and that they follow the same processes on their many flights over the last year.
The couple also repeatedly point to the fact that the child’s eating but when she’s done they have to find fresh masks, i.e., not one she had before, and can’t get her to wear one, with the mother repeatedly asking how she’s supposed to get her child to wear one, which suggests there wasn’t intent. She also freely admits the child is older than 2, which is Spirit and I believe FAA policy.
Yes, it’s difficult to travel these days, even moreso with young children, but the airline/FAA have all of their policies clearly stated beforehand. And the only reason the entire plane was deboarded, delaying hundreds, was because the family refused to deboard.
Not likely to be a popular comment, but just trying to bring some perspective and objectivity here.
YWN has to stop posting these stupid articles. The videos aren’t proof of anything. People only take out their cameras once the argument starts, which is after the passengers were warned. If anything this videos shows that the kid can’t keep his mask on. The women saying the baby isn’t wearing a mask is no proof either. Just stupidity. The sad reality is that many Jewish people cause a hilul Hashem and do not wear their masks (properly). It makes no difference if it’s more or less prevalent than the general population. If it’s done at all it’s a hilul Hashem. I’ve flown three times since December and every time there were Jews not wearing their masks properly. On one occasion I explained to the boy who was sitting with his wife in a very nice way that it is a hilul Hashem Etc. He understood and thanked me but still wore the mask under his nose. It may be true that Jews are targets, and are treated unfairly. Maybe other passengers are overlooked and Jews are judged more harshly, which must be dealt with. But I am extremely skeptical of the innocence of those accused in these articles.
User176 makes sense. And articles with a sensationalist or voyeuristic tone certainly do not reflect Torah values, which are real values of “the Yeshiva World”.
Just stay home. Is that SO difficult?
Spirit Airlines is low-cost and low-life. Always will be. But people keep flying them! ✈️
Just drive. You dont have to wear a mask the entire trip.
5TResident – you stay home. It’s not a problem you can live your life in fear and traumatize yourself hiding out in the basement. Anyone who’s nervous and is scared of Covid doesn’t have to go out. I refuse tho to live my life in fear any longer 14 days to slow the spread (sarcasm)
ymribiat, user176, did you see the videos? The kid was eating a yogurt!
5TResident, typical arrogance from 5TS, I see!
YOU stay home and hide in your basement. The rest of us actually want to LIVE!
Being that the child is over two years old, they might be following the LETTER of the law, but they sure aren’t following the SPIRIT of the law!