Elderly man kicked off plane after 'asking crew to put on mask'

A man has been booted from a plane after reportedly disrupting a flight attendant to ask her to put on a mask while she was delivering a safety announcement.

The hostess had reportedly lowered her face mask during the announcement, which prompted him to ask the flight attendant why he had to wear a mask and she didn’t have to.

He had been sitting in a grounded Allegiant Air plane at Punta Gorda in the US state of Florida on September 7 when tensions flared.

A passenger filmed the confrontation as the elderly man was being escorted out, showing him pleading with the pilot as he passed the door.

Allegiant Air
The elderly man was escorted from the plane before it took off. Source: Getty Images/Twitter

“Captain please, all I did was ask someone to put on their face mask. That's all I did,” he was heard saying.

Another video showed him yelling back at the passengers to get off with him in a show of solidarity.

In the video, a flight attendant refused him entry to speak with the pilot and ushered him towards the exit.

The airline website states that all passengers and staff must wear face coverings that cover their nose and mouth while on board.

Exemptions apply to children under two and people with a note from their doctor stating they can’t wear a mask.

The airline said in a statement the man had repeatedly disrupted the flight’s safety announcement.

“The passenger was removed for repeatedly disrupting the pre-flight safety briefing which includes reiteration of our inflight face-covering policy,” it said, according to the publication.

“The flight attendant giving the safety briefing lowered their mask for speaking into the PA so the briefing could be understood.”

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