JAKARTA - A 68-year-old woman sued an airline after she was asked to get off her flight for taking off her mask to drink water.
Medora Clai Reading, who is from Florida, United States chose to take action by filing a lawsuit against the airline Southwest Airlines Co., amounting to 10 million US dollars or approximately IDR 143,303.5 million on Tuesday.
Reading said she has kicked off a January 7, 2021, flight to Palm Beach, Florida, from Washington DC, after a flight attendant argued with her demanding she wears a mask despite a medical problem. These include heart conditions and low blood sugar, which require her to stay hydrated.
Southwest did not immediately comment, as it had not yet reviewed the complaint.
Citing Euronews on January 19, the passenger lawsuit in federal court in Brooklyn differs from a dispute that focuses on travelers not wanting to wear masks. The Federal Aviation Administration said airline crews in 2021 submitted 5,981 reports of misbehaving passengers, including 4,290 incidents related to masks.
In her complaint, Reading said she offered to show her medical exemption card to the officer, but got a response, "we don't care", and that the officer objected to her, then took a sip of water shouting: "You're talking!"
According to Reading, a gatekeeper eventually ordered her off the flight, when a pilot who took off his mask "giggled mockingly" as she exited in tears.
She said nearby police helped her into a chair and offered her water, commenting that similar incidents "happened too often" and "usually in the Southwest".
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Meanwhile, Kristina Heuser, Reading's lawyer added, that "a plane full of witnesses" saw the meeting, and some may have recorded it.
Heuser called Southwest's behavior "hostile and abusive" and reflected "COVID concerns" that should not override federal laws protecting people with medical disabilities.
Reading's lawsuit alleges violations of the federal Air Carrier Access Act and various civil rights laws. The flight attendant, two gate officers, and the pilot, who was not named, are included in the lawsuit.
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