If you’re headed to business class on any of the Emirates Airlines international flights, you’re going to want to make sure you have a comfortable mask. If not, you may find yourself the target of an “Eye Mask Karen” who wants to confiscate your mask. The airline has specific rules for masks on international flights, and they’re not designed for “relaxation” and “luxury.” They’re designed for business class customers with allergies or breathing problems. So, if you’re in a situation where you must have a mask, the airline has a few guidelines to follow:
It was one of those mornings when you’re just too busy to get up, so you opt to sleep in. Unfortunately, that meant the unfortunate person next to you would be awake too early. On Tuesday morning, a British Airways flight from London to Madrid was delayed and passengers were forced to wait in their seats. They wondered if the reason for the delay was because their neighbor was wearing a mask, as the airplane was only allowed to fly with passengers wearing masks.
Passenger mask confiscated by Karen with eye mask: Business Class customers only
Gary Leff 16. June 2024 A JetBlue flight attendant confronted an economy class passenger and removed his eye mask because he was not traveling in economy class and JetBlue eye masks are reserved for economy class passengers. A passenger asked for an eye mask when boarding and was told: No, there is only one set of amenities per passenger in business class. The woman sitting across from her offered the man hers. JetBlue gave it to her – and she to him.
But one of the crew didn’t want to do it. And there’s a video of Eye Mask Karen after the deal. The conversation went like this: Crew member: Sir, I need to take this mask, please. Man in cockpit: What do you say? Crew member: You have not purchased a Mint seat, so you cannot use Mint products. Man in cockpit: Do you offer sleep kits? Crew member: These kits are not for sale. You can buy them online, but not on the plane. You can’t even buy them online anymore. Man in cockpit: Well, I think that’s a little ridiculous. Crew member: But I don’t have 143 other masks to give to everyone on the plane.
It’s not fair. Why you and not them? Man in cockpit: But you didn’t give me the mask. You did your job. Crew member: Yeah, but you got it from a client in the Mint. Man in cockpit: They gave the customer sitting there a product like new. Crew member: Yeah, not for you, but for him to use. Man in cockpit: It wasn’t the gentleman who gave it to me. Crew member: What stops people from bringing all their food and blankets here for their friends? You can’t do it either. Here’s a video posted on TikTok. And this is his full account of the story. @tylerweitzman What? Original sound by Tyler Weitzman
@tylerweitzman What??
JetBlue supports KarenEye Mask
JetBlue’s position seems to be that toiletry bags are like software licenses – the kit belongs to the passenger, but there is a liability agreement attached to it that limits what the passenger can do with the contents. According to the airline, the flight attendant was right, although the attention she received in return was not what she was looking for. Business Class passengers may not share food, alcohol, pillows, blankets or other amenities with passengers in the self-discharge hold.
However, they are revising the language of their policy for greater clarity. The regulations make no mention of the provision of eye masks as part of the toilet kit. After watching the customer’s video and speaking directly with him, we understand his frustration, he said. We are sorry that we were unable to provide him with the requested eye mask and that the thoughtful gesture of another customer caused him problems.
Why don’t airlines allow passengers to give their toiletries to someone in economy class?
When I was a member of United Premier in the mid-1990s, I took extreme measures to get an upgrade. I would fly from Washington to Dulles to San Francisco, but I would take a connecting flight via Denver on Wednesday afternoon. There were fewer passengers to compete with and the Boeing 777 had many premium seats. At the time, United flew to Los Angeles and San Francisco with wide-body aircraft, a mix of Boeing 777s and 747s.
So I flew to Phoenix via Los Angeles, thinking I’d never get an upgrade on a non-stop Boeing 757. Once I checked in, the gate agent took pity on me (this was before the advent of online check-in!) and transferred me from widebody business class to non-stop first class via Los Angeles. It was my first time in first class on a motorized flight and I was excited. Of course I won’t get a business class seat with a stroller, but I will ….. Ice cream. I happen to be on a flight with a colleague at work right now. They waddled to the back of the car, and I felt guilty. So I took my ice cream to the bus. This elicited stares from the other passengers.
As you can imagine, an airline doesn’t want (1) passengers who haven’t paid for the service to use the facilities – a loss of revenue (because the passengers might not buy the service) in addition to the higher cost, and (2) passengers defiantly using what surrounding passengers can’t – a recipe for class warfare in the cabin and in-flight discussions. But giving an item from a first aid kit that a passenger can also carry? There is no additional cost to JetBlue, and it is unlikely to cause a commotion in the cabin of the bus. And I don’t know what they would think of a passenger taking pajamas on one of their new flights to London and using them on a future bus trip? I always use airline pajamas when traveling business class with airlines that don’t offer them. (HT: One Mile at a Time)
