Couple Asked to Leave Plane in Mask Dispute at Fort Lauderdale Airport

A couple were asked to exit a San Diego-bound flight at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Florida, on September 8, following a dispute over mandatory face masks.

Video by Alice Runkevich, who was also a passenger on flight B6 529, shows an altercation between a man and crew members at the front of the plane. The man can be heard shouting “you gave me one f***ing warning. I pulled it [the face mask] up the second he said something. The second he said something I pulled it over my nose.”

A woman, who pulls her mask down beneath her chin while speaking to other passengers, can also be seen exiting the aircraft. The man, who can be seen shouting at staff towards the end of the footage, is removed from the aircraft, at which point other passengers start to cheer and applause.

Runkevich said the flight was delayed by roughly three hours and that the incident happened while the plane was fully boarded and on the tarmac.

In a statement provided to NBC, JetBlue airlines said the couple was asked "multiple times but would not comply with the federal mask mandate.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order on January 29 requiring masks to be worn by passengers at all transportation hubs, including airports and on aircrafts. According to the order, all passengers, regardless of their vaccination status, are required to wear a mask over the nose and mouth. Credit: Alice Runkevich via Storyful