Colorado family asked to leave plane after toddler refuses to wear mask
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Denver, CO (KCNC) — A Breckenridge couple and their child were escorted off a United Airlines flight from Denver to Newark, New Jersey on Friday. The child is 2 years old and did not want to wear a face mask.
The mother of the child, Eliz Fulop Orban, recorded the ordeal and shared it on her social media pages. She says they fly United often, adding they are premier silver members.
Orban says the family, including the young girl, flew four times previously since the coronavirus pandemic and did not have an issue.
Orban says her daughter will be 3 years old next April.
In the video, she and her husband are seen trying to get the child to wear the mask before the plane took off. An unknown amount of time passed when a United Airlines employee asked the family to get off the plane because the child was not wearing a mask.
The employee is heard telling the child’s father he asked them to comply once before. The father responded, telling the employee they were trying, but the child did not want to wear the mask.
Under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all persons 2 years and older are recommended to wear face masks in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The parents argued they were trying to comply, but were ultimately escorted off the plane.
Once off the plane, the same United Airlines employee told the family their luggage would continue to Newark, and they were banned from flying on the airline.
In a statement to CBS4, United says the family is not banned. The airline goes on to state,
The health and safety of our employees and customers is our highest priority, which is why we have a multi-layered set of policies, including mandating that everyone onboard two and older wears a mask. These procedures are not only backed by guidance from the CDC and our partners at the Cleveland Clinic, but they’re also consistent across every major airline.
We are investigating this specific incident and have made contact with the family. We also refunded their tickets and returned their car seat and bags.
It’s not clear whether the family will try to fly to Newark at a later date.
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