Jenks Woman Says She Was Kicked Off Southwest Flight For Violating Mask Requirement

A Jenks woman and her friend were flying back from vacation, when she said they were kicked off of a Southwest Airlines flight. Lena Banuet said airline personnel told them they were violating the FAA's mask requirement.

"We were totally in shock,” said Banuet. “It was completely humiliating because everybody around us saw everything that was happening."

Banuet said it all happened shortly after boarding a connecting flight on Sunday night. The two had started their day in Miami but had layovers in both Nashville and St. Louis.

Banuet said on previous flights, flight attendants warned them a couple times that their masks were falling below their nose, but she said not any more than any other passenger.

"I can remember a couple of times where I was sleeping and my mask dropped down and I had to pull it back up, but nothing serious," said Banuet.

But just after boarding the St. Louis flight, Banuet said things changed. The two were eating pretzels given to them on a previous flight and had their masks around their chin. She said without any warning on this flight, they were asked to get off the plane.

"We begged and pleaded with them and said look we have our masks; they were just dropped down while we ate. We said we will wear them, we will put them back," she said.

But she said it didn't matter. The two ended up renting a car and driving from St. Louis to Tulsa in the middle of the night.

This all comes as the FAA is reminding both passengers and airlines about federal law, requiring nearly anyone on a plane to wear a mask.

"We will not tolerate behavior that violates the law," said Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security during a press conference Tuesday.

News on 6 reached out to Southwest Airlines who did not have specific details about this incident, but did send us a statement saying “Refusing to wear a mask is a violation of federal law and may result in denial of boarding, removal from the aircraft, and/or penalties under federal law.”

They also forwarded the federal requirements in regards to wearing a mask and eating on a plane:

When the Federal law requires Customers to wear a mask

The following are times when a Customer may need to briefly remove their mask: While eating, drinking, or taking oral medications. Prolonged periods of mask removal are not permitted for eating or drinking; the mask must be worn between bites and sips.

It's the responsibility of our Crew to ensure passengers adhere to federal regulations inflight. As always, we regret any negative Customer experience and appreciate the spirit of compliance to the federal mask mandate and the ongoing cooperation among our Customers and Employees as we work collectively to support the comfort and wellbeing of all who travel with us during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.