TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida man has been banned from flying with United Airlines after attempting to wear a pair of thong underwear over his face instead of a mask.
The passenger now tells WFLA he’s attempted this same stunt about 20 times before.
Video of the incident, which started making the rounds on social media this week, shows two flight attendants talking to Adam Jenne, who had been wearing the garment to cover his nose and mouth while he waited for his flight to take off from Fort Lauderdale to Washington, D.C.
One of the flight attendants can be heard telling Jenne he’s “not in mask compliance.”
“You’re going to have to come off the airplane. We’re not going to let you travel,” the flight attendant tells Jenne.
After Jenne exits the aircraft, another passenger — whose mask is seen hanging off his face — approaches a different flight attendant and demands to know why Jenne was removed. He, too, leaves the plane after the flight attendant asks him to place his mask over his nose and mouth.
“I’m out of here,” the passenger says.
Jenne tells WFLA this isn’t the first time he’s used the thong as a mask, and estimates that he’s done it about 20 times before. He was booted from a Delta flight earlier this year for it, he claims.
This time, however, Jenne has been banned from flying with an entire airline.
In a statement obtained by Nexstar, United Airlines confirmed that Jenne is not welcome to fly with the carrier.
“The customer clearly wasn’t in compliance with the federal mask mandate and we appreciate that our team addressed the issue on the ground prior to takeoff, avoiding any potential disruptions in the air,” the airline wrote. “This customer has been banned from traveling with United.”
The TSA currently requires travelers to wear masks on commercial flights. United’s website also stipulates that passengers must wear masks that fully cover their nose and mouth, without any vents or openings.
Jenne did not disclose his vaccination status in the phone interview with WFLA. “It’s none of your d— business,” he said.
