Passengers cheer as ‘Karen’ is kicked off flight for refusing to wear mask
Passenger Jordan Slade filmed the older lady — who has since been dubbed a “Karen” — after she claimed to have a medical condition preventing her from wearing a mask on a July 19 flight from Ohio to North Carolina, according to the Daily Mail.
In the footage, the unnamed woman is shown taking her time to gather her belongings from an overhead bin as a passenger shouts, “Just leave!” She then turns to exit the plane — prompting loud clapping and cheering.
“You can clap all you want!” the woman snaps back angrily.
In the background, two masked American Airlines employees can be seen waiting to escort her off the aircraft.
Along with refusing to wear a mask — which is required for all adults on American Airlines flights amid the worldwide coronavirus pandemic — Slade said the woman demanded to be boarded first and caused other problems.
“She was argumentative from the gate,” Slade told the outlet. “She demanded to be boarded first and was causing an obvious scene. Once boarded, she was making phone calls and arguing with the attendant when asked to put her phone away.”
When another passenger called her out, the woman still refused to wear a mask, the flier said.
Observers who viewed the video, which posted by Slade on TikTok, wondered how she was allowed to board without a mask.
“Why wasn’t she stopped at the gate? Did she have one on to get in the plane but refused to keep it on? Just drive Karen! Geez!” one Twitter user wrote.
Another added, “She thinks rules and common sense don’t apply to her.”
American Airlines did not return a request for comment.
