Woman booted from flight for wearing offensive pro-Trump mask
A woman has claimed she was kicked off an Alaska Airlines flight for allegedly wearing a pro-Donald Trump face mask.
The woman, who posted a video of the altercation to TikTok, said she was on board the flight on June 24 when she was asked to remove her mask, which had 'Trump 2020' and 'F**k your feelings' written on it.
"Kicked off Alaska Airlines Flight for wearing a Trump mask!" user Sara Gamache captioned the Tiktok clip posted last week.
That clip has been viewed over 7.6 million times and follows an Instagram post of the video on June 25 and Ms Gamache establishing an Expose Alaska Airlines website where she tries to encourage people to boycott the airline.
The Alaska Airlines policy prohibits the “wearing or display of offensive, threatening, or intimidating statements or symbols. The airline issued a statement a couple weeks after the incident saying she had been removed for the profanity and for not following flight crew's instructions on several flights.
Pilots felt 'uncomfortable'
The video posted to TikTok begins with Ms Gamache arguing with the flight attendant, who is asking her to leave the plane.
The flight attendant tells her she was asked to remove a mesh breathable mask— Ms Gamache had complied by putting on the Trump mask with the profanity. The flight attendant said she was then asked to take that mask off but didn't until she was asked a second time, when she then put on a plain black mask.
Mr Gamache is then told the pilots want her off the plane. She asks under what condition.
"Because they don't feel comfortable with you on the aircraft," the flight attendant replies.
The flight attendant is also seen calling someone off the plane saying “the passenger is refusing to come off and she is filming me.”
“Yes I will film you because this is ridiculous," Ms Gamache says, before ending the video.
Claims she was bullied by staff
In an Instagram post, Ms Gamache wrote she was "appalled" with the airline for "bullying" her because of her Trump 2020 mask.
"I have worn this same mask on several Alaska Flights with no issue so I was genuinely confused and asked to see the policy.
"However, they said they couldn’t find the policy and that the plane needed to take off," she wrote.
She also claimed that a flight attendant "mocked" her as she got off, asking “how does it feel to be humiliated?” and telling her people cheered as she left.
"The worst part is they kicked my husband off," she wrote.
She said he was not wearing a Trump mask and because he is on active duty military couldn’t say anything.
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Alaska Airlines respond to the claims
In its statement Alaska Airlines said the claim Ms Gamache made, that she was kicked off for wearing a pro-Trump mask, is false.
"Ms Gamache falsely claims that she was removed for wearing a mask with a pro-Trump political slogan," the statement reads.
"In fact, she was removed for refusing to follow crew member instructions on multiple flights and because a profane statement appeared on the mask in violation of Alaska’s policy.
"This was the second incident in which Ms Gamache defied crew member requests to comply with the federal mask policy. In January, Ms Gamache received a yellow card for repeated refusals to wear an appropriate mask.
"We expect our customers to comply with Alaska policies and federal law when they choose to fly with us."
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