Couple Removed From JetBlue Flight For Expressing 'Displeasure' Flying With Ivanka Trump
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) — A New York man says he and his husband were removed from a JetBlue flight after his husband "expressed displeasure" about flying with Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.
Matthew Lasner said on Twitter that JetBlue staff kicked him and his husband off the flight from New York's Kennedy airport to Florida on Thursday after overhearing his husband's remarks. Lasner tweeted earlier that his husband was chasing the couple down in the terminal "to harass them."
"Ivanka and Jared at JFK T5, flying commercial. My husband chasing them down to harass them. #banalityofevil," Lasner tweeted.
Lasner also tweeted that his husband "expressed displeasure in a calm tone."
"Ivanka and Jared on our flight. My husband expressed displeasure in a calm tone, JetBlue staff overheard, and they kicked us off the plane," Lasner said.
Lasner, who is a professor at Hunter College, has since deleted his Twitter account.
JetBlue cited the possibility of "the risk of escalation during flight" in explaining the decision to remove the men. The airline says the couple was rebooked for the next available flight.
"The decision to remove a customer from a flight is not taken lightly. If the crew determines that a customer is causing conflict on the aircraft, the customer will be asked to deplane, especially if the crew feels the situation runs the risk of escalation during flight. In this instance, our team worked to re-accommodate the party on the next available flight," the airline told CBS News in a statement.
A spokeswoman for the Trump family declined comment but did not dispute the accounts.
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