A frustrated airline passenger has divided opinion online after raging over a maskless passenger on his recent flight.
The man, known as John, vented in a post on Reddit about sitting in front of someone who was coughing without covering their mouth on a flight from the Midwest to Detroit.
"I offered a mask to the sick person before takeoff since I was grabbing a mask for myself at the same time," John told Newsweek. "When I verbally offered a mask to him, the person waved me off and said he didn't want it."
And he posted on Reddit: "To the maskless, sick person sitting behind me. You are the one coughing on me every 10 seconds without covering your mouth. You are the one clearing your snot-filled nose and throat every 20 seconds. You are the one to whom I offered a mask, but you said, 'Nah, I'm good.' You are not good. You are an a******."
Newsweek could not verify the details of this case.
The tale has gained over 13,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments, and led to some seriously divided opinion.
Some users shared similar stories, expressing outrage over maskless people exposing others to illness. One Redditor wrote: "I'm currently home sick because someone came to work coughing all over the place. We work in food, and management can't even tell her to mask up!"
Others shared their own tactics for similar situations. "When the sick person declined my mask offer, I handed masks to everyone else nearby. They were happy to take them," one user said.
Another commenter highlighted the challenges for vulnerable travelers: "I'm immunosuppressed, so I always wear a mask on flights, even if others don't. It's just not worth the risk."
However, others were less sympathetic, with some arguing that John and his supporters were overreacting.
"If you're that worried, wear a mask yourself. Stop trying to police other people's behavior," one user wrote.
Another said, "People get colds. This isn't the Black Plague. Relax."
"If you have a mask, you can wear it. End of story," a third commenter posted.
For John, the episode reflects a deeper societal shift. "Common courtesy and science have been politicized since the COVID pandemic," he said. While masks are no longer federally mandated on U.S. flights, like they were during the COVID pandemic, many passengers continue to disagree on their use.
Last year, an airplane passenger said that she was confronted for deciding to wear a face mask on a flight and "yelled at" by a female passenger who allegedly told her, "You know COVID is over, right?"
English (US) ·