More info on Jet Blue mask controversy makes them look awful (Opinion)

You can read my original thoughts on the Jet Blue mask incident below. A day later quite an interesting update has been brought to my attention. Follow this link to a flight blog called Dans Deals. Two points. One, it turns out that the flight attendant who harassed the mom over her 2 year old not wearing a mask seemed to have it in for her. He was the same flight attendant on her original flight to Florida and had given her a hard time then, even stupidly insisting the girl somehow wear a mask while she was eating. Two, and this is the big one, according to the blog the information Jet Blue had on its website before she took this flight stated, “Young children who are not able to maintain a face covering on their own are exempt from this policy.”

If this proves true, Jet Blue has a much bigger apology to issue than I originally felt. Here was a two year old girl having a meltdown and wouldn’t keep her mask on. I would say that’s the very scenario their website stated would be exempt. Instead a mom handling six children all on her own was thrown off that flight. Here’s the original story if you missed it.

Look, I’m not one of those nutjobs who pretends the pandemic is a hoax. Nor am I one of those science deniers pretending the pandemic is over, or that masks do nothing.

But when a family is kicked off a flight because a 2-year-old can’t handle wearing a mask we need to re-evaluate our protocol. According to NBCNewYork.com, this happened on a Jet Blue flight bound for New Jersey. Watch their video report below.

A woman was traveling with all her children and no other adult to help her. She says she did her best to get her two year old to wear a face mask but the poor little girl just kept having a fit. The flight attendants wouldn’t budge even when a bunch of other passengers, strangers to the woman, asked the flight attendant to back off and let the mom be. She tried. The girl is two.

Jet Blue’s policy is masks on everyone two or older. And they take it so seriously even though the mother did her best to get the kid to keep it on that the family was told to get off the plane. The ruckus that ensued among outraged fellow passengers apparently led to everyone being forced off the plane.

Again, check out NBC’s video report and decide for yourself if this was the right move. I find it outrageous how young they have set the age. Trying to get a two year old to wear a mask may work for some families. But all kids are different. Some will have terrible meltdowns. It’s what two year olds do. Add a special needs situation like autism with its sensory challenges to the mix and you won’t be able to bring your toddler anywhere.

Everyone else in that family was wearing a mask. They were not being defiant. Yet they were forced to take a different flight. Is this right? Take our poll below.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.