The crew of a United Airlines flight expelled a passenger from a domestic flight just before takeoff due to an act described by some as "indecent." According to AFP, the incident occurred at Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida on Wednesday, just before the plane was set to head to Washington, D.C.
The 38-year-old man was using a women's "string" thong as a mask in protest against the safety measures implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated to local NBC 2 that he wanted to demonstrate the "ridiculousness" of the requirement for passengers to wear masks on the plane while simultaneously allowing them to remove them to eat and drink.
In a video recorded by another passenger during the incident, crew members informed the man that he could not stay on the plane if he kept the thong on his face, leading him to leave his seat after a debate. The man compared himself to Rosa Parks, the African American civil rights icon who in 1955 refused to give up her bus seat for a white man, as mandated by the laws at the time.
He stated seriously, “In this country, every change happened thanks to ordinary people.” He added that “Rosa Parks wasn’t famous,” yet she “changed the course of history.” United Airlines clarified in a statement that the passenger "did not comply with federal mask mandates," expressing gratitude to their crew for resolving the issue on the ground before takeoff and avoiding any potential disruption in the air.
