Actions have consequences. Just ask Alaska state Senator Lora Reinbold.
CNN and other sources report the lawmaker was suspended from flying on Alaska Airlines for refusing to comply with the carrier’s mandatory mask rule.
It wasn’t just one, isolated incident. Reports say Reinbold has called flight attendants “mask bullies” and was captured in multiple videos apparently playing the role herself in clashes with employees of the airline.
A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines points out that, "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."
Tim Thompson said the suspension of the Senator – who is also a COVID-19 vaccine sceptic and was headed to Juneau to vote against an extension of the state’s pandemic restrictions – came after her “continued refusal to comply.”
Reinbold was denied boarding following the latest incident a few days ago, while Reinbold was reportedly en route from her hometown near Anchorage to her job at the state’s capital, Juneau.
Other mask scofflaws have been booted off flights in the U.S. But there’s an even bigger catch for Reinbold: Alaska Airlines offers the only regular flight service between the two Alaska towns.
Left on the proverbial tarmac, the senator, accompanied by her husband, resorted to a ‘planes, trains, and automobiles’ approach to her commute to work – minus the planes and trains.
Her only option remaining was reportedly a 750-mile road and ferry trip that took in total about 40 hours – that’s one way!
In a masterful spin, the Senator posted photos of the couple on the ferry and other images of their trek to the state capital, declaring that she has a “new appreciation for the marine ferry system” in Alaska, as well as the remote state’s lack of air connectivity.
Critics were quick to respond on facebook. Some called out the Senator’s mask refusal as “irresponsible.” Others asked if she needed “a ride to work.”
And user Jane Erickson couldn’t resist sarcasm pointed at the Senator’s politics. “Thank-you Lora for supporting the ferry system. I look forward to hearing that our marine system needs to be fully funded & maintained.”
