Man with chronic asthma hyperventilated after being forced to wear face mask on easyJet flight
‘I was insulted, shouted at, laughed at’, said the man
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A man with chronic asthma hyperventilated and suffered a “storm of abuse” after crew on an easyJet flight threatened to remove him unless he wore a face mask.
Nick, who declined to give his name, was travelling from Jersey to London’s Gatwick Airport in August when the incident occurred.
Respiratory problems mean that Nick is unable to wear anything around his face or neck: “Whether it's a polo neck or a scarf round your face, the sensation is stifling. I just find it increasingly difficult to breathe,” he told the BBC.
“It's like a steel belt round my chest.”
He had printed off an official exemption card from the government’s website before travelling to Jersey to visit family.
The card was accepted on his outward journey, but crew on his return leg told him it was invalid and that he was required to wear a face covering.
After refusing to do so, things began to escalate, he said.
“The staff came to speak to me around six times. The 30-minute delay was seen as my fault and each visit whipped up more hostility among the passengers.
"I was insulted, shouted at, laughed at. It felt like everybody was against me,” he said.
Nick says he became so desperate he started filming on his phone.
Video footage shows the pilot of the easyJet flight refusing to accept his exemption card and saying that if he didn’t wear a face mask, he “was off”.
Nick reluctantly agreed, after feeling like he “had no choice”, but said it caused him to hyperventilate during the flight.
In a statement, the budget airline apologised for the incident.
“We have recently updated our policies in line with recent UK government guidance so that as well as a medical certificate, customers can alternatively provide a relevant document from a government website or lanyard,” the airline said.
“We are sorry that this new policy was not recognised by the crew on this occasion.”
The Independent has approached the airline for further comment.
According to the BBC, easyJet described Nick's behaviour as “disruptive”, but a fellow passenger, who did not want to be named, said he behaved “calmly” in a “stressful situation”.
“No-one seemed to care about his condition. The staff should have taken him away from the other passengers to have the conversation in private,” he said.
Face coverings are mandatory on public transport throughout the UK, but some people are exempt from this ruling due to age, health or disability reasons.
The Department for Transport for England says those who are exempt can carry a card, badge or a homemade sign to clarify this, although law does not require such documentation.
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