Alaska State Senator Becomes Latest Flyer Banned from Alaska Airlines

After skirting face covering rules aboard Alaska Airlines, an Alaska state senator is the latest person to be banned from the carrier. Lora Reinbold now says she has to drive and take a ferry to the state’s capital, after the Seattle-based airline says she continually refused to “comply with employee instructions regarding the current mask policy.”

When Alaska state senator needed to travel from her district to the state’s capitol in Juneau, she would normally board an Alaska Airlines flight connecting the two cities. Now, her commute consists of a drive and ferry trip, after she was banned by the carrier for her “continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy” due to the COVID-19 pandemic The Associated Press reports state senator Lora Reinbold is the latest person to be placed on the internal ban list for not wearing a covering.

Reinbold’s Face Mask Ban Considered Temporary Until Review

Since the start of the pandemic, Alaska Airlines has mandated a strict face mask policy for all flyers. By August 2020, the carrier started distributing “yellow cards” to flyers who did not wear a face covering, giving them the chance to correct their behaviors or face cancellation of their itinerary.

According to the carrier, Reinbold has continually refused to follow the face mask rule. A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told the AP that her ban would be considered temporary until it can be reviewed by the safety and security team. If they uphold the decision, Reinbold could be asked not to fly with the carrier until the pandemic comes to an end.

As Alaska is the biggest carrier to offer service between her district outside of Anchorage and the state capital of Juneau, Reibold now says she is only able to make the trip by driving through a portion of Canada and boarding a ferry. In a comment to the AP, she noted there were “some uptight employees in regards to my mask inquiry, trying to figure out a mask exemption, what the policy was,” but her commute now gives her a “new appreciation” for the state ferry system.

Face Mask Mandate Continues to Require Flyers to Don Coverings

Regardless of opinions, all flights and other public transportation is subjective to a national face mask mandate, requiring all flyers to wear a covering when aboard an aircraft. Those who refuse and create a disruption could be subject to civil penalties from the Federal Aviation Administration.