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An Alaska state senator said she could not travel to the capital city of Juneau for Senate votes because she was banned by Alaska Airlines for refusing to follow the federal mask mandate. transport.
Lora Reinbold, a Republican state senator representing Eagle River, a suburb of Anchorage, was told by Alaska Airlines in April that she is being banned indefinitely for flouting the federal mask mandate that requires airline passengers to wear a face cover, according to an airline spokesperson.
Reinbold made the procedural request Thursday to be exempted from legislating in the state capital in a future session, Juneau’s Anchorage Daily News reported, because its only air route from Anchorage to the capital – a flight Delta with a connection to Seattle – is seasonal. and ends September 11.
Reinbold’s transit situation is as unique as the capital of the 49th state: Juneau, in a narrow fjord, largely inaccessible by road, is served by only a few airlines, and only Alaska Airlines flies year-round. between Juneau and Anchorage, where Reinbold lives. .
Reinbold did not immediately respond to a request for comment, shared his thoughts on his request for an exemption from a legislative session in a Facebook post:
“Being excused doesn’t mean you won’t be here, it means the legislative process can’t be inhibited if you’re not there, can unconstitutionally hamper the ability of lawmakers to get to the capital in such a way. safe and quick, it could undermine our representative republic. “
Alaska Airlines declined to comment on Reinbold’s request.
In April, shortly after her ban, Reinbold traveled overland across Canada and took a ferry to the legislative session in Juneau, writing on Facebook that she “has gone to new heights for you. serve and have a new appreciation of the sea ferry system. “
On Friday, Reinbold’s Facebook page contained numerous posts containing disinformation about Covid-19, including advice for taking hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin if infected with the virus. His page also includes strong expressions of his opposition to the mask and vaccine mandates.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Reinbold called the mandate “an unconstitutional tyrannical directive on transport that has invaded the rights of private citizens.”
Alaska Airlines said in a statement that Reinbold was made aware of her ban on April 24 and that “she was not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instructions regarding the current policy on masks “.
The airline said since its April ban, “a review has taken place and the suspension has been upheld.”
As part of Reinbold’s meeting with authorities at Anchorage airport in April, just before his land and sea trip, was recorded and uploaded to Twitter.
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