2:24
- travel
- September 17, 2020
Mask issue gets mom and toddler kicked off flight
She said enforcement of the policy is "inconsistent."
Video by Will Linendoll
Still, she and her son, who turned 2 just a few weeks ago, were removed from the flight.
She says she paid $600 to get on a flight home on American Airlines. And while she's requested a refund from Southwest, she told \"GMA\" it's not about the money.
\"I want to see consistency across the board,\" Degyansky said about the seemingly different interpretations of the rules from one flight crew to the next. \"Or, hopefully, more compassion on a case-by-case basis.\"
\"GMA\" contacted Southwest for comment. While the airline said they would not comment specifically on the Degyansky situation, they said that \"our Customer Relations Team is looking into this situation to learn more.\"
The airline sent \"Good Morning America\" the following statement about their mask policy: \"We communicate this policy 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's part of the Customer Health Declaration Form which appears during the check-in process on the Southwest app, Southwest.com, Southwest's mobile website, and airport kiosks.\"
\"If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering for any reason, Southwest regrets that we are unable to transport the individual,\" the statement continued. \"In those cases, we will issue a full refund and hope to welcome the Customer onboard in the future, if public health guidance regarding face coverings changes.
\"Caring for others with our Southwest Hearts is at the center of everything we do, which is especially important during this pandemic,\" the statement concluded. \"We appreciate the ongoing support and spirit of cooperation among our Customers and Employees as we collectively take care of each other while striving to prevent the spread of COVID-19.\"
Degyansky maintains that her son was wearing his mask.
\"He was doing the right thing, he was being a good boy,\" she said, adding that she had promised him the snack for boarding the plane properly. The little boy was \"distracted by the snack,\" Degyansky said, and just needed a few minutes to get ready to put the mask on.
\"I understand it's a big company with thousands of employees and they are figuring it out and moving as fast as they can,\" Degyansky said. \"I would just ask for some compassion from their side too.\"
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