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This situation is plane wild.
A passenger on a United Airlines flight said they faced potentially serious consequences after asking a visibly sick seat mate to put on a mask.
The virus-wary voyager related the tale of woe on Reddit — sparking significant conversation among their fellow flyers.
“I had a wet-coughing, sneezing, nose dripping lady sit next to me. I asked her quite civilly if she would consider wearing a mask,” the ticked-off traveler wrote.
“Other passengers put on masks at this time and while reaching for masks, I offered her a spare, asked if she’d consider wearing it — that’s apparently what lit her fuse.”
“She immediately went off on a loud ‘You have no right’ tirade and pushed the call button. I was reprimanded by the FA (flight attendant) for just making such a request — ‘You CANNOT ask another passenger to mask up!’” the opening poster related.
“I understand coughing, sneezing and nose blowing may be due to allergies or other afflictions. I would have been comforted had she just said, ‘I have allergies.’ My spouse has asthma and allergies, and my father’s terrible COPD likely contributed to his death,” the fearful flyer explained.
They went on to say that they got moved out of their premium class seat — to a middle seat back by the bathrooms. As a result, the sick passenger got to move over and comfortably sit in the aisle seat.
But the saga didn’t end there, according to the relocated alleged rabble-rouser, who said they quickly received a visit from security personnel: “After I was reseated, a large enforcer came on the plane to ask me, ‘Are you going to be a problem?’
The troublesome tale of commuter conflict resonated with readers, generating thousands of comments — with some armchair experts saying the opening poster was justified in making their request.
“Went to Vegas in early Feb. Guy behind me was practically hacking up a lung the whole flight. COVID hit me 2 days later. Airlines need to do better. Stop letting obviously sick people on the plane!” one traveler shared.
“Of course you can ask a sick person to wear a mask. They are not obligated to do so, but asking them to do the right thing is not improper IMO,” another wrote.
Others suggested the jerked-around journeyer get in touch with United Airlines and ask for some sort of reimbursement.
“If you’ve been reseated to a lower tier seat, and you have time and energy, I’d reach out to the airline to provide feedback to the FA crew, and ask for a compensation. S–t like this should not go unpunished,” one frequent flyer advised.
“People who travel despite being ill aren’t likely to be reasonable. It’s unfortunate. You should also raise the issue to UA customer service to see if there is any remedy. The FA’s actions towards you seem unfair,” another bystander mused.
However, there were other commenters who thought the healthy traveler was in the wrong.
“You don’t get to control others. The only mask you need to be worried about is your own,” one person snapped.
“Trying to muzzle another human is abusive behavior,” another fumed.
