A man claimed he was kicked off a Frontier Airlines flight in Atlanta, Georgia, in early March because of the imagery on his shirt.
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Professional skateboarder Justin Mallory, 45, was traveling to a Phoenix skateboarding convention when he claimed he was asked to leave his flight because his shirt, which featured the artwork of two guns, “allegedly ‘made another passenger uncomfortable,’” according to a statement from Mallory’s lawyer, Mawuli Mel Davis.
“I was flabbergasted. I was taken aback,” Mallory told ABC affiliate WSB-TV.
Man says he was kicked off flight over business logo on his shirt: https://t.co/lUxIf2AmZc @JustinWilfonWSB gets both sides of this story, tonight at 11 #nightbeat pic.twitter.com/8idRQuvQHW
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) March 22, 2018
Mallory, who was set to perform and sell merchandise at the Phoenix SkaterCon convention, said the artwork was a part of his skateboard brand logo.
“I have been a frequent flyer with many airlines and my skateboarding brand image has always been received as an artistic expression,” Mallory said in his statement.
But Frontier, according to Mallory, failed to check in his skateboard and “became argumentative” when he was asked by a crew member to do so.
“It is Frontier’s policy that skateboards are not permitted in the cabin,” the airline said in a statement. “After eventually checking the item, the passenger boarded the aircraft and continued to exhibit disruptive behavior.”
Frontier’s account was “totally false,” Mallory told WSB-TV, adding that he missed the convention because of the ordeal. Mallory and Davis said they're considering a lawsuit.
“It was embarrassing,” Mallory said. “I don’t want to see it happen to anyone else.”
