A passenger on an easyJet flight from Manchester to Tenerife used what some might call the Ted Cruz exception, milking a single food or beverage item for the full flight to take advantage of airline rules allowing passengers to go maskless while eating or drinking.
He says he doesn’t actually have an issue with masks, it was just an experiment to see if he could get away with it: he bought a can of Pringles potato chips on the flight, and spread 100 chips out across the length of the flight, making each chip last two and a half minutes.
The easyJet passenger explains,
I was just sitting on the plane and I thought I could make these Pringles last four hours.
“I calculated that there’s about 100 Pringles in a tube and you get away with eating a Pringle for about two-and-a-half minutes.”
…He said he only had to wear his face mask for ten minutes, once to use the toilet and also when he had to remove his luggage from the over-head carrier.
According to easyJet, this was totally legit.
Passengers receive clear communications before they travel and via announcements onboard to ensure they are aware that, in line with new guidelines, they are required to wear a face mask onboard except when eating or drinking.
Whilst our cabin crew will always try to be vigilant to ensure that passengers comply with the requirement to wear a mask, no issues were raised with the crew about this passenger’s behaviour during the flight.
It is the responsibility of all onboard to adhere to these measures for the health and safety of everyone onboard.
JetBlue kicked a two year old off a flight for not wearing a mask, Delta banned the Navy SEAL who shot bin Laden, and a conservative activist found himself without a reservation all over not wearing a mask – when all any of them had to do was take the Ted Cruz approach and milk a Starbucks or a Pringles for the full flight.
Perhaps the strangest twist to the story is this isn’t even the first time a can of pringles on an easyJet flight made news.
(HT: Your Mileage May Vary)
they should limit eating to 5 min per hour or something like this to avoid this.
Tis all theater (or theatre) anyway, very seriously if you can smell a fart (or gaseous emmision) through underwear (or pants), jeans and a mask, the microscopic covid virus can also make it’s way though your mask to infect you.
eating and drinking is the biggest mask policy loophole i have ever seen, you can fly a 737 through it.
I would say food and drink time has to be limited. It’s a pandemic, sacrifice just a little for your fellow pax, you heartless fool.
Erik.
I’m going to assume that you didn’t post the above just to get people’s hackles up.
Masks do NOT prevent you from getting Covid-19. They prevent the spread of it. That’s why Doctors wear masks in operating theatres, and not patients.
Please go read https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html written by people that DIDN’T use Facebook as “research”
@JL100 – Are you kidding? Do you really want FAs to be given authority over every minute of your flight? I will concede that masks may marginally help on a macro level, although the data to support that is not strong. But this Karen-level obsession displayed by so many who are treating mask wearing as this life or death issue for which we must make endless rules and mercilessly punish those who don’t comply is insane. Our society needs a huge bunch of “mind your own business.” Asymptomatic people represent a tiny (if any) fraction of CoVID transmission. If you are at high risk, you shouldn’t fly. If you absolutely must fly, wear your own N95 mask to protect yourself and stop worrying about whether the stranger across the isle has their mostly worthless piece of cotton all the way over their nose.
If he were a frequent flier he can kiss his kidneys goodbye. Or he will just get a stroke.
I know there was a photo of Ted Cruz drinking coffee on a flight.
Is there any evidence of a “Cruz exception” — that he nursed the coffee for a long period of time to avoid wearing a mask?
@Frequent Flyin’ Fool – there was also a photo of him *in the terminal* maskless, he wasn’t just taking it off for eating and drinking (and it’s been a requirement at National airport). American ‘reached out to him on their rules’, they believe he was doing more than just taking a momentary drink.
I took a lot of flights this August. Six different airports, etc….
I had no problem milking a simple bottle of water for hours on my flights. I was hardly the only one doing this. Same for the airports, and depending where the airport is located – Masks aren’t required. (Rapid City, South Dakota and Savannah specifically)
Good for him. We need more people exposing the lunacy of the face diaper mandates. Like I always respond to people when they ask me why I’m not wearing a mask, “Because, I’m not part of the cult”. It’s well beyond time for the sheep to wake up.
Brilliant! I had people in these comments wishing death on me when I said I nursed sodas for hours on flights to sidestep the mask rules. This guy does it even better! Well done!
“it was just an experiment to see if he could get away with it” This nonsense should not be allowed. His intent wasn’t to eat, it was to evade the rules.
So throw him off the plane, and ban him for life, for being a complete dick. That’s actually the rule we need. Life would get much better for everyone. Easy call.
If you are flying a 16 hour flight from Australia to the USA, why poop out a big brown log of digested Pringles? Instead, I recommend you buy the big bag mix of buttery caramel corn and rich cheddar cheese corn. This bag is so large, you might have a sufficient quantity of popcorn for a round-the-world journey.
James N and Joe should swallow Clorox to make sure they stay healthy. They think they know better then every reputable medical expert. I’m sure they support Trump and thing Black lives don’t matter. I bet 100% of these anti mask people are right wing racist thugs
@Allen – See like this guy! I always circumvent the rules on flights, and what are you going to do about it karen?
Wishing Covid on this jerk
“They think they know better then every reputable medical expert.”
The key word in that sentence is “think”, something you and your ilk stopped doing about six months ago.
@James N – still taking the blue pill I see? You still don’t get it…
No shirt, no shoes, no mask (no vents), stretching the Pringles, no service!
I “got it” from the beginning. In fact, I’m one of the few who did. The masked morons are still flailing about try to figure out how to admit they were wrong and still save face. Unfortunately, for them, it’s not going to happen.
“It’s easier to fool someone than to convince them they’ve been fooled.” Mark Twain.
It’s Easy Jet. Like the Alligent story. Or any of the stories about Spirit, RyanAir, InterJet, or AC Rouge. Honestly, what kind of people do you really expect to find on those planes?!? Non-story.
Doug, Facts Matter…….asymptomatic transmission is over 40 percent……..not a tiny fraction (if any) as you allege.
You could also slowly pee your pants every 2.5 mins, doesn’t mean you should.
Anyone who doesn’t believe masks can help prevent the spread of disease, feel free to let your surgeon know that the next time you’re getting operated on & let’s see how that works out.
@Parts Unknown – Surgeons work in a sanitary environment, using sterilized equipment, face shield, sterilized gowns and gloves, and on patients that are often receiving antibiotics. They don’t wear the masks all day in public, or wear masks made of cloth, adjust their mask with their bare hands every few seconds, take the mask off to eat in the middle of surgery, or perform surgery on a filthy passenger plane.
Just because it works for highly trained medical professionals doesn’t mean it for the general public.
I did fly a week ago and almost all of the passengers are wearing or handling masks wrong from the medical standpoint. The fit should be tight not loose and you do not touch your face or the mask with your bare hands. Touching your face transfers the virus directly onto your skin or the mask and then skin. Touching the mask transfers the virus onto your hand and everything you touch. This is equivalent to spitting on your hands and then touching everything. If you wear a cloth mask you should change it in a few hrs and wash and dry it before the next use. Disposable mask are SINGLE USE! Once you take that mask off it should be trashed. Use new one. Everything else is called masquerade.
So you’re saying you’re okay with peeing your pants then. Whatever works for you man.
Thanks Gary. Your article may explain why airlines only sell the “small” snack size can of Pringles from their snack cart for $5 to $8. Small size Pringles also help passengers keep their face masks on and keep the aircraft lavatories from Pringles poop clogs and backups.
@Gary Leff
LOL. Every time you do a bit on masks, you light up the trolls (James N, Joe, Erik, etc.) These guys (or gals) actually hate people and are happy to continue this pandemic to kill people and the economy.
If we don’t change our attitude about wearing masks the virus will never go away people and we will just have to live with all these restrictions. and we will just have to live with all these restrictions.. I will say it again we will never get better if we don’t change your attitude about this virus.
I am a flight attendant and we hate wearing the mask as much as passengers do and a majority of us do not want to keep walking through the aisle making sure that grown ups are doing what is required and agreed upon getting to the airport. Masks may or may not work but if there is a small chance that they do what kind of human being would not just put it on.
why has wearing or not wearing a mask become such a political issue. I wear one out of courtesy for others. it isn’t that big of a deal. whether it provides a real deterrent to the spread is something I am not qualified to comment on.
These are considered masskholes
Gary, please ban folks like Joe and James here. Don’t let your website being flooded by idiotic conspiracy theorists who are actively promoting harming others. No one wants them here (or anywhere, for that matter).
I don’t like wearing seatbelts and I don’t believe anyone should be able to require that I do so. I’ve gotten a couple of tickets, paid a couple of fines…and i now wear a seatbelt without question. Hit them where it hurts if they don’t want to obey the law…their pocketbook. I bet you will see an increase in the number of people complying.
Can’t fix stupid, seems you can’t put a mask on it either!! Guess covid is here to stay thanks to a lot of stupid people!
Trump just got caught with his pants down, recorded by Bob Woodward on just how bad Covid was, while saying all along in public that it was no big deal. Tens of thousands of deaths are on his hands.
Presidency over 11.3.20. Good riddance.
Genius. I like this guy. The whole mask system is stupid. Wake up people. Unless you tape your eyes shut, wear a body suit, plug your ears, anus, and crotch, then fully decontaminate those items or replace them with every use….. you are doing NOTHING. Well except for looking silly.
that’s not a man.
It’s fascinating reading all the comments from the face diaper brigade, but I especially love the ones who try and convince us they’re being altruistic.
“The obedient always view themselves as virtuous rather than cowardly.” Robert Anton Wilson
If the commander of the aircraft, or those acting on the commanders behalf, give you an instruction related to safety, you are required to comply. Not doing so can result in you being off-loaded and refused carriage. It doesn’t matter what you think, or that you don’t believe it is a safety issue, refusing to comply is an offence. The commander could have invoked this on the flight concerned.
I would not use your airline if you think this is legit. Airlines first priority should be the safely of their passengers.
I would not use your airline if you think what he did was legit. Your first priority should be the safety of your passengers and everyone on board.
If you’re going to have rules interpreted to the letter of the law by crew members, it’s only fair for customers to comply to the letter of the law.
Of all passengers must comply then all flight attendants should have to fully comply as well. That includes wearing one to do the announcements!!! They justify it by claiming it’s so passengers can hear them. That’s BS! It’s to make their job easier only. Stop the double standard by the mask Police. FAs
The cabin crew do fully comply. Just like the passengers there are occasions when masks aren’t required, like short periods to eat for passengers, and short periods to make announcements for the crew. The mask makes it very difficult to use the PA, and communication is vital.
And yes, it’s to make their jobs easier. You say that like it’s a bad thing!