Sen. Lora Reinbold today defended her behavior at the Juneau International Airport, and described an incident that happened while she was preparing to board a flight for Anchorage on Thursday. She has been banned from Alaska Airlines, the company said today in a statement.
[Read: Confirmed: Reinbold banned from Alaska Airlines]
Reinbold, speaking from her iPhone while on the road, said she was unaware of the various news reports of the day but said the airlines employees were uptight with her on Thursday when she asked about her mask exemption.
One airline employee said, “Mrs. Reinbold are we going to have problems with you on the flight,” according to Reinbold, who has been an anti-mask crusader for the past year.
Reinbold said she kept her mask on for 20 minutes while waiting for her flight, when employees approached her.
“She got in my face, and I said ‘Who are you?'” Reinbold described. “She said she is a supervisor. ‘Are we going to have any troubles with you on this flight?'”
“Then a guy named Troy with yellow vest on yelled at me and said, “Put your mask up.” It totally caught me off guard. He wanted it higher on my nose.”
“I believe this is going to be a nonissue soon. I think it’s interesting timing, that’s all I’m going to say there. I hope to be on another Alaska Airlines flight in the near future. I am working collaboratively with customer care as we speak, even as I am able to on the road right now,” Reinbold said.
Her remarks were to the Alaskans for Constitutional Rights group during a weekly Zoom meeting and she said she was calling from the side of the road. She didn’t say if she was driving to Haines to catch the ferry or a plane to Juneau.
The next Ferry from Whittier doesn’t leave until Monday. The next ferry to Juneau from Haines leaves at 4 pm Sunday.
