EasyJet apologises after pilot insisted man with chronic asthma wear face mask on plane

Easyjet has apologised after one of its pilots insisted a man with chronic asthma wear a face covering on a plane.

A man named Nick, who wanted to keep his last name anonymous told the BBC he was "ambushed" into wearing a face mask despite showing crew members that he had a medical exemption card.

Like most airlines during the coronavirus pandemic, Easyjet asks passengers to wear a face mask at the airport, at the gate when boarding the plane and throughout the duration of the flight.

But Nick says he has serious breathing issues and the "sensation is stifling" when he wears anything around his face.

"It's like a steel belt around my chest," he said.

Nick filmed the moment a crew member rejected his exemption card on his journey from Jersey to Gatwick.

According to the guidelines, face coverings are strongly recommended on the island of Jersey but certain groups are allowed not to wear them.

Nick said his exemption card was accepted on his outbound flight in August but issues arose on the return flight.

"The staff came to speak to me around six times," he said. "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."

During the footage the pilot tells him: "You have given me with a piece of paper with something on it."

In the footage he recorded, Nick tries to explain the guidance on the government website but the pilot interrupts and says: "Last chance. You have two seconds to grab this and put it on otherwise you are off."

Eventually Nick agreed to wear a face covering. He said: "I would do anything to avoid wearing anything that restricts my breathing.

"That's more terrifying than being insulted by 100 passengers, but eventually I felt like I had no choice."

An EasyJet spokeswoman told the Evening Standard that up until recently the airline only accepted a doctors exemption note or medical record and staff have only just started to accept the government exemption document.

“The primary responsibility of our crew is for the health and wellbeing of all customers onboard. During the pandemic this is more important than ever," said the spokeswoman.

"For the safety of all onboard and in line with EASA guidelines, all customers are required to wear a face covering. We know some passengers may not be able to so we make sure that we inform all customers of this ahead of travel and of what to do if they require an exemption.

“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.

"We are sorry that this new policy was not recognised by the crew on this occasion and if [Nick] was unhappy with how this was handled onboard however we cannot tolerate disruptive behaviour towards our crew.”