(Audacy) — A mother shared yet another airline outrage story on social media, claiming a Southwest Airlines flight attendant suggested they glue on her 2-year-old's mask.
On Instagram, Ali Cleek said her daughter, Drew, “is a thumb sucker and her only way she biologically knows how to soothe herself is by sucking her thumb which is damn near impossible with a mask.” Her daughter started to get fussy while boarding an Aug. 12 flight from Orlando to Norfolk, Virginia, with her mother, father and 4-year-old sibling, according to Fox News.
Cleek said the flight was more than an hour late and had no air conditioning. She and her husband attempted to hold Drew down and get her to keep her mask on while flight attendants stared, Cleek told Fox.
Then, Cleek said the flight attendants gave her two options. One was a sarcastic suggestion, to cut a hole in the mask, and the other was to “glue it to her face.”
Cleek said the flight attendant indicated she had glue available.
“I just know that regardless if it was sarcasm or not, I was embarrassed and trying to follow the mandate as much as I could,” said Cleek, who mentioned in her Instagram post that she respects the federal mask mandate.
Fox News received an emailed statement from Southwest regarding the incident:
“The federal mask mandate for travelers has been in effect since February 2, 2021 and requires all passengers over the age of two to wear a mask at all times throughout the travel journey. We [Southwest] appreciate the ongoing cooperation among our customers as we work, collectively, to follow the federal mandate and support the comfort and wellbeing of all who travel with us during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As a note, customers are reminded of the federal mask mandate multiple times prior to travel. Southwest provides reminders during the booking process on our website; in pre-trip emails sent to customers prior to departure; and as a part of a customer’s Health Declaration Form that must be acknowledged during the check-in process on the Southwest app, Southwest.com, Southwest’s mobile website, and airport kiosks.”
When Cleek reached out to the airline, a customer service representative told her that someone would speak to the flight crew about the incident, she told FOX.
“I really don’t have the words,” she said on Instagram. “I’m still shaking. And pray to God no one has this kinda situation happen to them.”
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This incident comes on the heels of several other confrontations on airplanes this summer, including events that led flight attendants to duct tape people into their seats.