Cody Garbrandt and son kicked off flight for violating mask mandate
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and his 2-year-old son were kicked off a flight with Southwest Airlines earlier this week after failing to follow the airline’s mandatory mask mandate.
“Kicking a [2-year-old] off a plane ride but your captains aren’t wearing their masks, while we all are full capacity sharing the same air,” Garbrandt wrote on social media. “What a joke.”
View this post on Instagram
“F*ck @southwestair got kicked off because my 2 year old son wouldn’t put his mask over his face,” Garbrandt said in a second Instagram post. “This coward flight attendant hid his bitch ass in the bathroom.”
View this post on Instagram
Southwest Airlines has messaging on their website which details the mandatory mask policy in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Federal law requires each person to wear a mask at all times in the airport and throughout the flight, including during boarding and deplaning,” the policy states. “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. A properly worn mask completely covers the nose and mouth, is secured to the head, and fits snugly against the side of the face. On the aircraft, if wearing oxygen masks is needed because of loss of cabin pressure or other event affecting aircraft ventilation, masks should be removed to accommodate oxygen masks.”
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson stated that Garbrandt was offered a full refund for the tickets and provided the following statement:
“We communicate the face covering mandate to all customers at multiple touchpoints throughout the travel journey, including during booking, in a pre-trip email sent prior to departure, and during a required acknowledgement that is part of the customer health declaration form and appears during the check-in process on the Southwest app, Southwest.com, Southwest’s mobile website, and airport kiosks.”
