Airline bans Alaska state senator for violating mask rules

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2021 file photo, Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold, an Eagle River Republican, holds a copy of the Alaska Constitution during a committee hearing in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Airlines has banned an Alaska state senator from its flights for refusing to follow mask requirements.

An airline spokesman said Saturday that Republican Sen. Lora Reinbold, of Eagle River, had been informed and added the suspension was effective immediately.

Reinbold told the Anchorage Daily News that she had not been notified of a ban and that she hoped to be on an Alaska Airlines flight in the near future.

The ban comes after an incident last week at Juneau International Airport in which Reinbold was recorded apparently arguing with airport and Alaska Airlines staff about the mask policies.

The federal government requires masks aboard aircraft.

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