Man kicked off flight for 'Let's Go Brandon' on face mask, video shows
NEW YORK - A viral video shows a man appearing to be removed from a flight over a facemask incident that the caption says is related to an anti-Biden message written on his mask.
In the video, posted by the account Libs of TikTok, a man can be seen arguing with an Allegiant Airlines flight attendant who mentions the "comment you’ve written on there" in regards to his mask.
The caption on the video says that the man’s mask had the phrase "Let’s Go Brandon", a popular social media trend mocking the Biden administration and the media’s coverage of the president, written on it.
In a statement to Fox Business, Allegiant Airlines confirmed that the passenger was removed for disregarding instructions from a flight attendant.
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"The video in question depicts part of an incident involving a passenger who failed to comply with repeated crew member requests to adhere to the federal face mask policy," the statement said. "The passenger was removed from the flight and issued a refund for his fare. Disregarding instructions from flight crew members is prohibited by federal regulations and is grounds for removal from a flight where such conduct creates an unsafe environment."
The statement continued, "The decision to remove a passenger is never made lightly and is always done with the safety of our passengers and crew in mind. In April, the FAA adopted a zero-tolerance policy against unruly passenger behavior, which includes failure to comply with crew members’ instructions. We welcome the FAA’s renewed strong stance on unruly passengers, understanding the safety risk such incidents can create for both passengers and crew."
Where did Lets go Brandon come from?
The airline did not confirm specifically how the man was "unruly" or violating the facemask policy, or what role any inscription on his face mask played in the removal.