Jewish Family Kicked Off Flight Over Maskless Baby

A Hasidic Jewish family says they were kicked off a flight because they refused to make their 18-month-old baby wear a mask, while passengers claimed Frontier Airlines staff performed celebratory high-fives after the incident.

A video of the incident shows the family walking off the plane as other passengers complain, “This is Nazi Germany! “and, “This is gonna go all over the news!”

Despite the policy being that children aged under 2 do not have to wear masks, the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC) says the family were told “to get off because their 18-month-old had no mask.”

Disturbing incident the last hour on a @FlyFrontier flight as staff told a Hasidic couple to get off because their 18 month old had no mask. Applause is heard as the couple started leaving. Travels say on camera that the applause came from staff who also cheered that “we did it.” pic.twitter.com/rA2JQmI1tU

— OJPAC (@OJPAC) March 1, 2021

After the other passengers started to bitterly complain about the treatment of the family, they too were removed from the plane and the flight was cancelled.

Eyewitnesses said the airlines staff were seen congratulating and “high-fiving each other,” while another allegedly stated, “A job well done to those Jews.”

An Orthodox Jewish person spoke up in defense of the Hasidic couple. Then the whole family siblings and in-laws started leaving the plane at which point the @FlyFrontier ordered everyone off of the airplane. pic.twitter.com/N1OwqxFI3Q

— OJPAC (@OJPAC) March 1, 2021

However, Frontier Airlines put out a statement claiming that the family was removed because adults were refusing to wear masks.

“Members of a large group, including adults, refused to wear masks as flight 2878 was preparing for departure from MIA-LGA. Repeated requests to comply with federal law necessitated their removal from the flight,” the airline declared, adding, “The issue did not stem from a child under 2.”

This claim is contradicted by footage showing the adults wearing masks as they leave the plane as well as testimony from passengers, one of whom asserted, “No adult refused to wear a mask.”

Members of a large group, including adults, refused to wear masks as flight 2878 was preparing for departure from MIA-LGA. Repeated requests to comply with federal law necessitated their removal from the flight. The issue did not stem from a child under 2.

— Frontier Airlines (@FlyFrontier) March 1, 2021

“The only person w/o a mask was a 18 month old. I’m still horrified how you handled it,” they tweeted.

Political commenter Yossi Gestetner also pointed out the absurdity of masks on planes when people remove them for long periods of time when eating or drinking.

“The airplane was loaded corner to corner with ZERO distancing, and for most of the flight many passengers would anyway not wear masks due to eating,” said Gestetner. “So it’s odd that you chose to cancel a flight over an alleged mask issue (not backed by video and disputed by eyewitnesses).”

This article originally appeared on Summit News.