Alaska Airline Bans GOP Lawmaker For Refusing To Wear a Mask During Flight

Alaska Airlines announced Saturday that it has banned Republican state Sen. Lora Reinbold from its flights after she repeatedly refused to abide by its mask-wearing requirement for travelers.

“We have notified Senator Lora Reinbold that she is not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy,” Alaska Airlines spokesperson Tim Thompson told the Anchorage Daily News.

“This suspension is effective immediately, pending further review. Federal law requires all guests to wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times during travel, including throughout the flight, during boarding and deplaning, and while traveling through an airport,” Thompson added.

The ban comes after video of Reinbold arguing with Alaska Airlines staff members about the airline’s mask policy was posted on social media.

Whoa! A source just sent this video of Sen. Reinbold at the Juneau airport. She was refusing to wear the mask and the police got involved! She’s also filming @AlaskaAir employees and asking for their names. Hyper loose. A second video is below. #akleg pic.twitter.com/EfaoSU3K9k

— The Alaska Landmine (@alaskalandmine) April 22, 2021

The Anchorage Daily News notes that this ban may present a significant travel obstacle for Reinbold, as no other airline has regularly scheduled flights between Anchorage and Juneau.

However, it appears that Reinbold may have found an alternative.

According to the newspaper, she discussed using the ferry system, which goes through Canada, in a Facebook post on Sunday. In her post, Reinbold refers to “the monopoly in air transport to Juneau that needs [to be] reviewed.”