Reader Gregg flags a story on Naked Capitalism, calling for a boycott of Lufthansa, based on a claim that the German flag carrier removed a passenger from a flight for wearing a medical mask. I obviously wasn’t there, but something doesn’t add up.
In this post:
Man’s mask makes Lufthansa crew uncomfortable?
A passenger traveling on a Lufthansa flight makes the following claims (and Naked Capitalism notes that this is “a reader well known to the site”):
So it finally happened — I got taken off the flight for wearing a mask.
Trying to go home to visit my mom, who we have managed to keep COVID free still to this day, so the same protocol that was kept us safe for five years was followed. But the tolerance towards it is gone now apparently…
I think I told you a story about them being very aggressive about it a couple years ago, well, this time they starting harassing me about it from the start, I told them to leave me alone and to go do whatever they have to actually do as their job and to stop bothering me, and then the captain came and said that I was “making the crew uncomfortable” and they will either physically remove me or rebook me to another flight and route. The latter would have meant spending an additional day at various airports, so I refused, and then they indeed came with a cop.
Then I had a long conversation with the cops explaining to them what happened, they said I didn’t really do anything wrong but Lufthansa as a private company can do whatever they want (what about the contract that is the ticket?) and this is “tresspassing”, etc. I said to them that I have a strong suspicion the flight was fully booked (indeed, every single seat was taken) and Lufthansa was looking for a way to kick someone out, they nodded silently, and that was it…
The website asked the person who was removed from the flight more about the interaction with the crew over the mask, and the explanation was as follows:
They didn’t ask me to remove it, they were just very aggressively asking me why I am wearing it, with questions implying I had a mental health problem. I told them to leave me alone and stop bothering me, they came back, I told them that I am not an idiot, but a professional who knows very well what he is doing, and that they should also go back to doing their job, which certainly does not feature harassing passengers, they continued. All that time I am sitting motionless and silent in the seat, thus “causing disruption” is just out of the question, but then they came telling me I am making them “uncomfortable” and should be taken out the plane and rerouted. I categorically refused because I had paid for this flight, not for the other one and for sitting at airports for another 12-24 hours, and also because the whole thing was so surreal I couldn’t believe they were serious. Then they came with police…
The scheme was effectively to deliberately provoke even a mild reaction to persistent pestering, then use that as justification for further action and escalation. And I did not wise up to that on time…
I think there’s more to this Lufthansa story
I wasn’t there for this incident, so obviously I can’t say with certainty what exactly happened. However, I haven’t seen any video evidence or commentary from witnesses. This story just doesn’t make much sense. And I say that as someone who often masks up when flying. A few thoughts:
- It’s interesting that this person claims this wasn’t the first time that something like this happened, and that he dealt with a “very aggressive” mask situation a couple of years ago; I suspect I’ve flown a lot more miles masked than this person, and I’ve never had anyone say anything
- Culturally, it’s just not very German to be publicly nosy and question people about their decisions while on the job, when they’re not in any way violating rules
- It’s a little preposterous to think that the flight was oversold, so the crew was given the task of finding passengers they can identify as being problematic, to have them removed from a flight by the police; that’s just never something that an inflight crew is tasked with, let alone that the captain is in on this scheme
- This is more a general tip, but regardless of the merit to the passenger being kicked off the flight, refusing to get off the plane is never the right move, because once the decision has been made (especially with the captain’s involvement), it’s final
To be clear, I’m not saying the story is totally fabricated, though I feel like there’s more to this that hasn’t been disclosed. I just struggle to make sense of the claims, so I’m not willing to say “yeah, boycott Lufthansa!”
What could have really happened, though? Did this person have some out of the ordinary mask setup that the crew had never seen before, and then this passenger responded super aggressively, telling the crew to mind their own business, do their work, etc.?
I just can’t see any airline crew question a passenger and implying they have a “mental health problem” because they choose to wear a mask.
Bottom line
A website is calling on a boycott of Lufthansa, after a passenger claimed he was removed from a flight by police because the crew started questioning him about wearing a mask. I wasn’t there, but I’ve never witnessed an airline crew comment negatively on a passenger’s decision to wear a mask.
The whole thing seems more preposterous when you consider the passenger dealt with a similar “very aggressive” mask situation a couple of years ago.
So I’m not saying it isn’t true, but there seems to be a common link here, and it’s this passenger. I’d be fascinated to know what kind of a mask he was wearing, and more specifically, how the interaction went, and what the crew said.
What do you make of this Lufthansa mask story?
But is he Jewish?
If he wasn't wearing a mask prior to 2020, then yes, he has a mental health issue. Or he's just a moron.
This incident seems redundant in that there are already plenty of reasons to boycott 'Luftwaffe ' !!.. Sounds more like an attitude/ego problem between staff & pax that escalated because neither side wanted to back down and in the end the captain/airline will always win .,,
@Idan, you wrote "The left-wing MAGA hat"
Not true. There are MAGA supporters that wear masks. It's not a left-wing MAGA hat. In fact, more left-wingers don't wear masks than MAGA people who wear masks. Therefore, not wearing a masks shows that you are a Communist or left-winger, ha ha.
Don’t feed the troll (and multi), please folks.
He's a blogger and a wanna-be influencer, just seeking attention and clicks.
He's also a complete a-hole and deserves to be thrown off planes, but I guess that's redundant given the above.
If airlines could choose to force everybody to wear a mask a few years ago, which many did even without government mandates, then airlines also have the right to forbid mask wearing or?
Maybe the mask had threatening or inappropriate writing on it and the person was asked to remove it on those grounds
I wear a mask all the time, and as a student of a related science, there is indeed very good reason to do so while travelling. I have never been challenged on a flight while wearing one, especially not on Lufthansa (whom I find to be exceptionally professional about it). Occasionally some, like the commenters here who wish that Covid would be over (wishing does not make it so), or are triggered by the sight...
I wear a mask all the time, and as a student of a related science, there is indeed very good reason to do so while travelling. I have never been challenged on a flight while wearing one, especially not on Lufthansa (whom I find to be exceptionally professional about it). Occasionally some, like the commenters here who wish that Covid would be over (wishing does not make it so), or are triggered by the sight of my mask, seek to challenge me about it.
Perhaps as the cognitive dissonance of knowing they continue to put themselves at higher risk is too painful to bear, so they lash out at the most convenient target: those who continue to seek to protect themselves. My wearing a mask has absolutely no impact on you, except perhaps to slightly protect you in case I have a flu or another virus. It can certainly cause you no harm, with the exception of the aforementioned cognitive dissonance.
Which I will agree, can be truly painful ailment indeed.
But in any case I have no doubt that we are not hearing the whole story here, as this is completely inconsistent with everything I’ve seen onboard.
The mask wearer sounds like a teenager explaining how he "did nothing wrong" in high school today, but got suspended anyway.
Lufthansa seems to have a resting hostility towards their customers in general, much more so when they push back even politely to mistreatment. So with skepticism, I'm inclined to believe this passenger with a grain of salt for the kind of embellishment that many of us engage in (inadvertently or intentionally) when we go through a bad experience.
@Idan, my mum died from it. I've had it three times. STFU
Funny, I never mask and have never had it.
Idan, of course, cause you never leave your moms basement...
Idan clearly shows us that what we’ve really lost is kindness, empathy and generosity of spirit. Cruelty is a feature now because people like Idan think they can’t be better off unless someone else is made to suffer/lose.
Lucky, Expecting videos is a risky business!
In September 2020, peak COVID, when masking was mandatory, I was seated up front on a AA regional jet. Across from me was an unmasked deadheading pilot. I asked the flight attendant to ask him to mask up. He refused. My mistake was snapping a photo, which I intended to send to AA customer service.
I was almost immediately kicked off the plane. The gate supervisor was...
Lucky, Expecting videos is a risky business!
In September 2020, peak COVID, when masking was mandatory, I was seated up front on a AA regional jet. Across from me was an unmasked deadheading pilot. I asked the flight attendant to ask him to mask up. He refused. My mistake was snapping a photo, which I intended to send to AA customer service.
I was almost immediately kicked off the plane. The gate supervisor was apologetic and provided a hotel room and meal allowance.
I would NEVER take video or photos of airline employees.
“Mask up” is an expression that NPCs use to feel like they’re taking action by acquiescing.
The way the person writes his side of the story sounds like he was looking to manufacture a fight and subsequent controversy, and somewhat enjoys the attention.
Someone who is still participating in the covid lockdown half a decade after it ended is a sociopathic attention whore? No way!
Oh grow up. It's normal in many cultures to wear a mask to avoid getting and spreading shit.
1) That’s an oversimplification of the reasons people wear masks (most having nothing to do with disease).
2) This person is clearly not just acting in the best interests of others.
Irrespective of what anyone feels about masks, it's not uncommon to see people in airports and on aircraft wearing a mask. And, I can't imagine an airline requiring someone to remove a mask or calling the police to remove a person who is wearing a mask. Something doesn't seem right about this story.
I fly Lufthansa alot and i see people wearing masks all the time. No issues. Take the local trains or subway in Munich and you'll see people wearing masks. Nobody bothers.
There's no merit to this non-story.
There's probably more to this story. While wearing a mask in 2025 may be the height of stupidity but said person would not be bothering anyone. Just amusement for the rest of us. But again I think there's more to this story.
It is really stupid not to wear a mask. All the other passengers should be banned from LH.
When you have surgery, do you want your surgeon and nurse to be coughing on your open body cavity?
It is incredibly stupid to wear a mask in 2025. They do not prevent you from contracting a virus, nor from transmitting a virus to another person.
They are merely a signal of one’s political beliefs. The left-wing MAGA hat.
You're a candidate for the Darwin Award.
@Upstater
How many people died because they refused to wear a mask?
(Spoiler alert: The answer is zero.)
My wife is a physician. The doctors in her office wear masks when there is reason to believe patient has a respiratory illness because that is accepted medical practice.
Masks dramatically reduce the spread of viruses. You don't know what you are talking about.
Idan " They do not prevent you from contracting a virus, nor from transmitting a virus to another person.
Not true. Lots of doctors and nurses were working in Covid wards and wore masks. They did not get sick or die.
People are still dying from Covid. Far more than from airline crashes. If fact, if one had to chose between wearing a seat belt on the flight and mask, choose the mask.
@Derek You are completely deranged.
@derek Surgeons were masks to avoid getting moisture in wounds. Has nothing to do with viruses.
But thanks for letting us know you support a permanent mask mandate.
I don't believe they offer surgery on Lufthansa, even in the First Class lounge.
Yeah because screw people who have compromised immune systems? Clearly they're just stupid . Ignorant prick.
Based.
"I told them that I am not an idiot" - Says a person who believes that they or their relatives can somehow be excluded from encountering one of the most common viruses in the population, even despite using public transportation.
Unfortunately, tens (maybe hundreds) of millions of people now legitimately believe that a thin piece of paper or fabric can protect them from contracting a virus, in spite of that virus being 50 times smaller than the pores in said mask, and in spite of decades of peer-reviewed evidence to the contrary.
Truly delusional. The governments and media of the world have a lot to answer for.
You have no idea what you're talking about. That is not how mask filters work.
While virus particles are smaller, the mask is not designed to protect against virus particles just floating around by themselves in the air.
Viruses generally float around in droplets from people sneezing or other mechanisms. Those droplets ARE large enough (median size 1 μm) to be filtered out by an N95 or at least dramatically reducing the amount that gets...
You have no idea what you're talking about. That is not how mask filters work.
While virus particles are smaller, the mask is not designed to protect against virus particles just floating around by themselves in the air.
Viruses generally float around in droplets from people sneezing or other mechanisms. Those droplets ARE large enough (median size 1 μm) to be filtered out by an N95 or at least dramatically reducing the amount that gets through. It doesn't have to be zero.
An N95 mask filters 95% of particles down to 0.3μm in size. Many of these particles are attracted to each other due to electrostatic forces. This increases their effective size and thus their odds of being filtered.
So while a coronavirus may be 0.125μm by itself, the reality is that the particles actually being filtered are larger.
None of what you said is true, but that’s fine.
The larger issue is that COVID-19 has always been a nothing burger for 99.9% of the population. That is even more the case now, that virtually everybody on the planet has had it multiple times.
And before you start blathering on about “long covid” (which doesn’t exist), just…don’t.
2020 is over. Your side lost.
Actually all of what was said is true in relation to the N95 mask. Funny nobody mentioned 'sides' until you did.
Those that can't give up the ghost of COVID. It gave them meaning and belonging to their sad lives.
I think that for a lot of people, March of 2020 was the best time in human history.
They look forward to a day when we can all be locked at home for months at a time (or maybe permanently) again.
If it isn't true then prove it with citations.
Actually Idan is even more wrong that that. It is true that viruses don't float around as individual particles, but even if they did the filtration efficiency of N95 respirators actually goes up below 0.3μm. The 95% efficiency is the minimum efficiency, which occurs at around 0.3μm. Below this particle size N95 filtration is even higher. This is because there are multiple filtration mechanisms at work (and it is why N95's work better than surgical...
Actually Idan is even more wrong that that. It is true that viruses don't float around as individual particles, but even if they did the filtration efficiency of N95 respirators actually goes up below 0.3μm. The 95% efficiency is the minimum efficiency, which occurs at around 0.3μm. Below this particle size N95 filtration is even higher. This is because there are multiple filtration mechanisms at work (and it is why N95's work better than surgical masks and much better than cloth masks). Whether it is worth wearing a respirator to reduce risk of COVID (or flu or anything else) is a personal decision and involves a lot of factors, but there is no question that N95's reduce exposure to airborne infectious diseases.
Asians wear masks all the time and no one bats an eye...
This is a racist myth. In fact, masks were relatively rare in Asia before 2020. It is as a result of relentless scare tactics from Asian governments, and the Confucian tendency toward groupthink and fear of stepping out of line, that huge swathes of people in Asia refuse to leave home without their face diapers on.
You regularly see people wearing masks in Airports and planes...I don't buy it as well.