In the next shocking abuse of power by an airline, a family has been banned from flying three weeks after their flight.
A family member tells YWN that they flew from a NY area airport to Florida in mid-January in a noneventful flight. The mom, dad, and their five children were masked as required by law, and had no altercation with any of the flight crew. They never left their seats, and sat in their assigned seats the entire flight. Not a word was said to the family about any mask issue or any other issues during the entire duration of the flight.
Shockingly, three weeks after their flight, the mother and father received two certified letters via FedEx stating that they since they were not in compliance with the mask mandate, they were now banned from using the airline.
“You were aware of this (mask mandate), but still refused to wear a face covering onboard (the flight)”, the letter reads. “Your failure to comply with spirit’s face covering policy and crew member instructions despite numerous requests caused great concern to your fellow guests and crew”.
“As a result of your aforementioned behavior, Spirit Airlines has determined that you are no longer permitted to fly with us, and we have placed you on a list for that purpose. You are also barred from entering Spirit’s facilities. If you seek to circumvent this, any ticket that you purchase will be forfeit without a refund. If you come into our facilities, we will report that trespass to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.”
The letters ends by Spirit saying that the family has to contact them in two years from the date of the letter to request that Spirit revisit the restrictions.
Read the letter below:
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
34 Responses
Maybe they were mixed up with someone with the same name or/and dressed the same way?
This happens with the “no fly” list.
Overall, the Spirit way of dealing with the issue seems more productive – let it slide once, but prevent them from flying again.
Yes, shocking — but only if you accept the family member’s version of the events, that Spirit banned an entire family for absolutely no reason at all.
We are living in Galus. They should sue them. Enough is enough already these airlines are extremely anti sametic that is so clear. No yidden should fly spiirit or Delta. So far united is good. May we see Moshiach very soon
They were guilty of “Flying while Jewish”.
I HOPE ALL OUR POLITICIANS WE VOTE FOR WILL GET TOGETHER AND MAKE A STOP TO THOSE UNCONTROLLED ANTI SEMITIC INCIDENTS. EVERY WEEK ANOTHER AIRLINE.
Time for a Hymishe-Chassidishe airline, where hymishe Yidden can fly comfortably, breathe freely, feeling like they are in Williamsburg or KJ, with a proper mechitza, with Covid rosh. How long will our Zadikim and Chasidim suffer this type of abuse? This didn’t happen before WWII, that an airline should ban Hymishe Yidden for such things in old holy Hungary. Will it be Monsey Bus airlines, B.P.-Willy airlines, or Heimann’s? Stay tuned.
There is always more to these stories.
They possibly switched seats with other passengers so they can sit together. And are confused with the other.
Sick stuff
I find it highly doubtful that this is the full story. It rarely is when you only hear 1 side. My husband and I are both visibly frum and have flown the NY to FL route on spirit several times this year. Staff has ALWAYS been courteous and pleasant without a trace of anti semitism.
Amazing how here on YWN there will be those commentators that MUST say ” if u believe the familys version” and other such …Anyone use uber? Got message that your driver reported you for not wearing a mask?? When you know you did…There is no where no how on their app to dispute it..I always thought the driver mistakenly pushed something on his app..maybe he did..but maybe its something more…happened to me few times..then the next time you call them you have submit photo in mask..
It is not so bad to be banned by spirit. It is a third world airline anyway. Fly with an airline that treats customers as human beings.
There may be more to the story as others suggest but it is unacceptable that the airline has all the powers to do as they please with no proof whatsoever. These low level employees on a plane are given too much power and apparently it is being seriously abused. Politicians need to put a stop to this. The same federal government that put mask mandates in place, needs to monitor how they are being implemented and deal with problems that arise. Some punk flight attendant cannot become the equivalent of a federal law enforcement agent. it is clear, they are acting on a biased manner in quite a number of instances.
Keep your heads in the sand!
Don’t even try to see the handwriting on the wall.
Let’s start the GIG movement! Golus is Good! We are staying here no matter what!
No matter how many blatant signs Hashem sends us, we refuse to see the truth!!
@shlomo2
Enough is enough! Your a disgrace to us all! Your a negative disgusting person, shame on you! People like you are the ones destroying us! GET A LIFE!!
Yidden , wake up! The Nuremberg laws never made any sense but they were implemented and enforced. No-one stopped them and therefore they succeeded in killing six million Jews with this agenda! Anti Semitism shows its ugly head in different forms. Just a little while ago, recently, an entire staff of Jews were ousted from their workplace all for only being Jewish. The AG office is still investigating but unfortunately, our legal system is one to be compared to the laws of SODOM. We are in Galus and need Rachmei Schmayim!!
I never cease to be amazed how some posters are quick to comdemn fellow Jews, ignoring the halachic obligation to judge favorably, yet rush to just the offending party (in this case, the airline) favorably. So yes – we are in golus – and a sure sign that we’ve been badly affected is too many of us sinking so low as to instinctively defend goyim and condemn Yidden. At best, withhold judgement until you check the facts and if you can’t, then withhold forever. You’ll be better off that way. Even if your codemnation eventually proves to be true, you have still failed in the mitzvah of judging a fellow Jew favorably. Bear in mind that Hashem judges us measure for measure and you, too, will be condemned in the same manner.
It also happens to be that Hymish yidden are the type to try to remove the masks while in the air since “whats the worst that can happen” at that point.
I wonder if Spirit can back their claim with documentation! If, as the family states, they were in full compliance, they should sue. If not, they should ‘man’ about it and own up!
I flew Spirit Airlines with my family at the end of January. I found the staff to be extremally nice and helpful. I don’t usually fill out surveys after the fact, but in my case the service was so good I filled it out and gave them a 10. There was also a Hebrew speaking stewardess on my return flight. I was also extremely careful to wear my mask the entire time from when I got to the terminal.
So many people here are believing or defending the major corporation. Have you folks never dealt with corporate america? I got so fed up, that I’ve been tracking every business relationship I have been in the past 10 years. I have not been a customer of any company that promised as delivered, fixed what was wrong without a fight, or even feel competent. It’s so bad I don’t willingly enter into any transactions with nearly anyone that isn’t a local jewish business anymore unless I have no other choice. Enough is enough.
I used to think there are two sides to these stories. And even if there was, I’m not siding with Spirit. Or Delta. Enough is enough with these companies that print money while passing the buck on their failures.
You should just say thank you and move on…hoepfully spirit will ban enough people it puts itself out of business
I hope the family sues spirit for discrimination.
To ladler:
You have it all backwards. There is no longer a חזקת כשרות when me, my friends, all the גויים regularly witness chassidim and other Chareidi Yidden repeatedly and consistently being the most common and conspicuous violators of the guidelines. Many even have the incredibly chutzpah to ridicule people like myself who want to be careful. Everybody knows it.
Remember, גדלי׳ בן אחיקם is held responsible for his own assassination, because he was warned that others were plotting to kill him, and he refused to accept what he felt was לשון הרע. He should have known the guy had lost his חזקת כשרות . When there is reason to be suspicious, it is criminal to give a חזקת כשרות.
To concerned mom:
There is a mechanism to reverse what Uber did to you. I had the same thing, and sent feedback to Uber via the app. I insisted they remove the advisory on my account, otherwise I would leave them and use the competition. They not only apologized and removed that advisory, they threw me a few Uber bucks.
To matook:
You write “ We are living in Galus. They should sue them.”
The first sentence is correct, but the following sentence is punkt fahkert. The absolute last thing you want to do I’m Galus is sue. Perhaps you should ask an older European yid whether the Gedolim in the Alter Heim thought legal action was the smart or correct thing to do in Galus.
Probably the same people who faked Covid test to get into Israel but once retested at Ben Gurion 11 were Covid positive, not at all concerned that they will transmit virus to hundreds .
I flew few times to Ft Lauderdale this past few weeks and many chasidim took off their mask and kept food on their tray so when flight attendants pass by they Ausgeshpilt the system..
These type of articles, that even potentially bring out the ongoing anti semitism that out people have endured for so many years, touches everyone in a sensitive place. My feeling here is, that when writing and presenting us with such articles, extra attention and sensitivity are to be considered.
Again, I’ll disagree with the premise of some posts….that airlines are now systematically targeting yidden for mask violations even when there were no violations. I have only flown several times in the past several months but overall, the flight attendants have generally been reasonably accommodating of families with young children (yidden or goyim) with regard to assuring that masks are kept on throughout the flight. However, given the nature of their work, they are in almost constant exposure to infection and are generally low on the vaccination priority lists (they are not “essential” and 95 percent are younger then 60 YO). They don’t have the option of working from home. If passengers simply are uncooperative and fail to respond to directives, there is ZERO tolerance and they will be pulled of the flight. The flight attendants are NOT simply scanning their passengers looking for those in black hats or chassidish lvush so they can target them for mask violations for no reason.
Class action
Concerned Mom: an Uber driver recently falsely reported a family member for no mask. In revenge I reported to Uber the driver made sexist and racist comments, drove unsafely and threatened the passenger. Uber responded they will act on my report. I wonder if that driver was fired.
they should sue the airline. make the staff face them and testify the problems they encountered.
@Gadolhadorah
Do you know that most anti semites never say that they hate Jews? There is always an excuse as to why the people that they hate (which happen to biologically be Jewish)
How do you know what is going through their minds?
Do you actually not believe in modern day anti semitism?
Do you really think that history does bot repeat itself?
I am not saying who is right or wrong over here.
but if you believe that systemic racism exist in other communities, at least agree that this 5000 year old in born anti semitism still going strong.
And stop defending the anti semites.
To ronfromnj:
Are you familiar with the halachos of chezkas kashrus and shmiras halashon? Since when does every individual in a tzibbur lose their chezkas kashrus if there is a percentage of the tzibbur that is lax in some area?! Did you ask a שאלת חכם on that one? And even in circumstances where one is allowed to suspect another’s innocence (not in this case), למיחש is only permissible to protect oneself or another from specific harm – not to be repeated otherwise and most definitely NOT to accept as definitely true unless one has checked all the facts and verified what it true and what isn’t. Please consult with a Rav and learn the halachos of shmiras halashon. You and so many other commenters who are so quick to condemn are so wrong – it’s tragic. As I said before, even if your condemnation ends up being true, that does not absolve you from your seemingly instinctive עבירות of conveying and accepting lashon hara, not judging favorably and so on. Please switch teams and join the rebuilders of the בית המקדש and not the destroyers.