Mom of 6 Kicked Off Flight Because 2-Year-Old Refused to Wear a Mask

According to the Centers for Disease Control, anyone over the age of 2 who doesn’t have trouble breathing should wear a mask in public. In recent months, several major airlines have required face masks for passengers wishing to board—including JetBlue, who kicked a mom of six off their flight this week after her 2-year-old daughter refused to wear a mask.

The New York City mom, Chaya Bruck, 39, was flying with her six kids on Wednesday, August 19 from Orlando to Newark, NBC News reports. In a video posted to Facebook (that has since been taken down), viewers can see the mom pleading with the flight attendant.

“Shame on you, JetBlue, for harassing me and kicking me off with my 6 children,” she wrote in the caption accompanying the video. According to Bruck, the attendants bullied her because her toddler wouldn’t “cooperate and wear a mask,” even though, according to JetBlue’s website, “young children who are unable to wear a mask are exempt” from the policy. Bruck even says that the exemption was announced on the flight prior to the conflict.

In the 3-minute video, viewers can see Bruck asking, “Do you realize she is 2?” “I do,” the attendant responds, “And I also…It’s not something that we can excuse.”

“Should I tie her hands? What should I do? Should I hold her hands?” Bruck asks.

The attendant then announced that the flight would have to deplane, which Bruck refused to do. “No. I am not going to deplane. I can try my best,” she can be heard saying in the video, adding if her daughter can have a pacifier in her mouth.

When the attendant asked Bruck to get off the flight, several passengers can be seen coming to the mom’s defense. ““She didn’t do anything wrong,” one man’s voice says.

Ultimately, after the flight deplaned, Bruck and her kids were not allowed to board again and flew home on a different flight.

On Thursday, August 20 a statement from JetBlue spokesman, Derek Dombrowski, stated that its first priority during the pandemic was the safety of its crew members and customers. The airline, the statement read, has “quickly introduced new safety policies and procedures throughout the pandemic” and added that their policies are consistent with the CDC’s recommendations.

“We have a flexible rebooking policy for those who are unable to meet this requirement, and customers who refuse to follow these standards after requests from crew members will be reviewed for further travel eligibility on JetBlue,” Dombrowski stated.

While JetBlue remains firm in their policies, Bruck told NBC New York, she hopes JetBlue will reconsider for young children who find it difficult to keep a mask on.

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