Seems like the PR war is in favor of the airlines.
If you refuse the follow a flight attendant while airborne they can easily return to the point of origin or the like and bring the Fed Hammer down on you for fucking with an aircrew/operation of the plane. Or just have the Feds waiting for you when you land. Or if there is an Air Marshal on board you might get to be cuffed to a seat someplace in the back.
At least you’ll probably get charged with interfering with is like a $25k fine.
If the airlines want to be harsh on you, they’re probably going to succeed. Especially if your defense is “muh freedums”.
There are vagaries, but generally after 9/11 “refusing to listen to the crew” is something you don’t want to do.
Hell, odds are fairly good the other passengers might tackle you and beat the shit out of you.
I’ve been on many flights and I’ve never seen an issue with an abusive drunk. Maybe it happened and was kept quiet, but I never witnessed any.
I don’t really drink on flights because I find having to use the toilet can be annoying. My goal is to get seated. seatbelt in, and stay that way until the plane lands. I may swap out the free soda for a beer or bloody mary, but only now and then.
It is when everyone on the plane cheers you for it. The whole reason this guy did it was as a PR stunt to try to shame airlines into not enforcing the policy. It says that a vast majority of your customers want you to kick these people off and enforce a mask policy.
It didn’t hurt their cause that this dude did it when a Times reporter was there who recorded it either and called out his blatant lies about it.
JetBlue is pulling out of Long Beach, CA (LGB) (source). They were the major airline in that (very small) airport. It was a great airport to fly in and out of.
Apparently Southwest (ew) is picking up most of the gates.
You’re sitting in a narrow, aluminum tube with 100+ other people for hours and hours breathing recycled air during a global pandemic. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
This is actually a myth. Airplanes exchange their air with fresh air very quickly.
Another article I read said that it only takes 3 minutes for the air to be fully replaced. I have been flying about weekly lately, but being extremely cautious with an N95 and cloth mask on top of it from the moment I am about to enter Airport A until I leave Airport B. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have to, but my current living situation is not ideal (working on that).
Sucks for the people that needed “emotional support” animals, but this is long overdue.
The Transportation Department issued a final rule Wednesday that aims to settle years of tension between airlines and passengers who bring their pets on board for free by saying they need them for emotional support. Under the final rule, which takes effect in 30 days, a service animal is a dog trained to help a person with a disability.