US1 min(s) read
Published 11:34 14 Dec 2020 GMT
A mom has hit out at United Airlines after she and her family were allegedly kicked off their flight after their two-year-old refused to wear a face mask.
In footage recorded on Friday (December 11), mom Eliz Orban can be seen talking to a cabin crew member as her husband attempted to keep a mask on their two-year-old daughter.
In the video, her husband explained that he was holding the mask over their child's face but that she was refusing to wear it without assistance.
Watch the video below:
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An emotional Orban then explained through tears what was happening to the camera.
"We just got kicked off a flight because our two-year-old would not put on a mask," Orban, who was flying from Colorado to Newark, New Jersey, said.
Orban explained to Fox and Friends that the entire incident was "humiliating" and "traumatizing".
She said that "the staff was rude" from "the get-go".
"We felt like we got no warning, no working with us, no asking questions, nothing to help in the situation," Orban added. "It was just like, 'Oh, well your two-year-old is not complying, you guys are off the plane.'"
Response to the footage has been mixed, to say the least:
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Orban said she has "never been more confused in my life," and added that she thinks "everyone else on the plane was also just watching this and thinking, like, 'What is happening?'"
Edeline is clearly upset in the video as their daughter refused to put on the mask, as an airline crew member can be seen walking over to the family before asking them to leave the aircraft.
Orban's husband said: "You gotta be kidding me. Why? We're over here holding this mask on her face."
The cabin crew member responded: "I'm sorry sir. I gave you an opportunity. I've got to ask you to get off this plane."
A United Airlines spokesperson said in a statement cited by News.com.au that the mask rule applies to all passengers over the age of two.
"The health and safety of our employees and customers is our highest priority, which is why we have a multi-layered set of policies, including mandating that everyone on board two and older wears a mask," the airline spokesperson said.
"These procedures are not only backed by guidance from the CDC [The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and our partners at the Cleveland Clinic, but they're also consistent across every major airline."
