Health

Local mom says she was kicked off an American Airlines flight because her toddler wouldn’t wear a mask

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — A Portsmouth, New Hampshire mom is demanding an apology from American Airlines.

Rachel Davis says she was taking a connecting flight from Florida to Manchester when the airline left her and her toddler behind because she couldn’t get him to wear a mask.

The frustrated mother says it all began as she boarded a connecting flight in Charlotte. She was carrying her luggage and her son Lyon.

“The flight attendant approached me asked if me if my son had his own seat. I said he did," said Davis. "I was wearing him in a sling. I had all of our bags as I was carrying him to the back.”

Davis then says the flight attendant demanded she put a mask on her son.

“She said if I wanted to continue on the flight I would need to put a mask on my son," said Davis.

Try as she might, Davis, who was traveling with her mother, could not get her son to wear a mask.

“I explained we had been on three other legs of flights with American Airlines in the last week and they never asked me to put a mask on him," said Davis.

Soon after that all of them were asked to get off the plane.

In footage shot by a passenger, Davis admittedly lost her cool, but back at the gate the frustrated mom is seen trying to find a solution to the whole ordeal.

“What am I supposed to do?" said Davis. "I’m a mom and I’ve passed my limit. I don’t know what to do.”

In tears and at her wits end, Davis is crying and goes on to say, “He’s two years old, he doesn’t get it.”

However the mask policy is the same for all major airlines, including American Airlines.

In a statement, they told Boston 25 News:

“American Airlines requires all persons 2 years and older to wear an appropriate face covering throughout the entirety of their journey.”

In that video Davis' frustration boils over as she stated, “I don’t know what you want me to do to keep the mask on him? What do you want me to do, duct tape his face?”

She says several passengers sided with her but she was still not allowed to board that flight. Instead, the family got on a later flight.

But Davis says people need to be more compassionate.

“We are all going through an unprecedented time that we do not know how to navigate and we cannot abandon human decency and compassion in moments of tension," said Davis.

American Airlines has reached out to Davis but neither had connected at the time of this publication.


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