So people can’t go hour with sticking something in there mouth. It’s called eating disorder.

.. or a medical condition.

According to both sides (as reported in the one article) the eating wasn't the problem. The problem was a miscommunication, following the rules by the passenger, an overreaction by the flight attendant, or likely some of all three.

Because flight attendants are freaking out in a daily basis...

This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

Recently a family was kicked off a flight because their (just over) 2 yo threw a tantrum about wearing a mask...

If you are "under two" you don't have to wear one. I'm sure the few months made all the difference in the world...

I just flew SW last Wednesday, an no one said a word about putting your mask back on between bites or sips of a drink. I kept my mask off while I ate my Chex Mix and drank my Diet Coke (so did others on the plane) and no one said a word... I had no idea about the new guidelines

Apparently, it's in the fine print you get with your booking documents...

You know, the stuff no one ever reads?

What about a cross country flight? Or a flight to Europe/Asia?

I swear, the judgmental attitudes I see on this Forum are astounding...

Unfortunately, this pandemic is not yet over, and wearing a mask indoors in close proximity to others still makes sense. I flew on SW about a month ago and there is no difficulty putting a mask back on between bites. However, the part that doesn't make sense was filling 175 out 0f 175 seats with a stranger's face 2 1/2 feet away, which violates the still in effect 6 foot indoor guidelines from the CDC, but then enforcing the bite to bite masking.

Then going back to filling the middle seats made no sense, either...

The entire terminal requires "social distancing", but once you' board the plane? Packed in like sardines...

Yep, there is no great way to enforce an idiotic rule like this. Probably best to just "not notice" when a passenger dares to take three bites in a row w/o masking.

I am so ready for this nonsense to end, lol.

What?? Did they card the kid? How did they know the child was over 2?

If the flight attendants are expected to enforce idiotic rules, you can't blame them for doing their jobs. Blame the idiots who made the idiotic rules.

Sounds like multiple layers of miscommunication and over-reaction. At least the guy was eating Twizzlers. Pre-pandemic, a guy seated behind me opened a can of tuna 5 minutes into a 2-hour flight and made the plane smell like a fish processing plant. I didn't need to say anything, several passengers got on the guy's case within seconds. Turns out, the guy was on a keto diet. I didn't get that mad, because I knew I'd have a story to tell, like I'm doing now.

:ohdear: Pleeeeeese, is there really a meal on any commercial flight worth getting upset about not being able to eat!!!!!! If you have a medical condition take food with you (Brother is a major diabetic, flies multi flights a week and takes his own food just in case). You probably should not be eating an airline meal anyway.

This is so silly. I’ve flown several times for work. They serve you food, the seat next to you blocked. Nobody had to tell me to put my mask up in between bites or drinks. My common sense was all i needed to know that was what to do. I also doubt this is true, first, they kicked him off when? Mid flight? Because that’s when the food is served. Did he bring his own food and start eating before take off?

I doubt you read the OP correctly. It was prior to take-off, and he brought his own box of twizzlers. Also it was Southwest Airlines; they haven't blocked the middle seats since early March, the flights are packed like cattle cars.

So the airline had every right to remove him for not complying with their rules. However, I think this in between bites masking policy is pretty stupid. Show me a medical study that shows this has any value. Then, since you are in a sardine can with your mouth 2- 2 1/2 feet from the next mouth, do you have to synchronize your bite with your neighbor so no two masks are down at the same time? Particularly hard if you are in the middle seat and have 2 neighbors to synchronize with. In addition, you spend 1 hour plus in a terminal where you better stay 6 feet away from everyone else, until.....you board a plane (translation: airlines make $$$ off packing a plane, terminals do not). Just wait for the chaos when the airlines require proof of vaccination.

I routinely fly Southwest between Pittsburgh and Orlando and they constantly announce the mask policy, almost an absurd amount of announcements

Well, the passengers back up his story, maybe read the whole story again and pay attention this time. He was put on another flight suggesting he wasn’t banned for life and facing a lengthy prison sentence for nonconforming, so it sounds like the flight attendant may have just been a grumpy old woman.