Jayson Bauer and his father-in-law, Roderick Dunlap, were flying from Flint, Michigan, to Punta Gorda, Florida, when they were asked to disembark the aircraft before the plane took off.

“We boarded the flight and happened to walk down the jet way with a couple that was seated two rows behind us. The airline said the female could barely walk and they were loud and obnoxious,” Bauer told Newsweek: “Once on board the plane they called a supervisor to come deal with them, and while she was on the plane we were getting settled into our seats, I made a joke to my father-in-law that the seats were so cramped and small he needed to keep his hands to himself and off my penis.”

Shortly after, the supervisor on the flight told Bauer and his father-in-law that they needed to disembark.

“We weren’t swearing, I was making a mockery of how small and cramped the seats were. If they would have issued me a warning, I would have been glad to stop—I used the word one time, not repeatedly,” said Bauer. “And I didn’t use a slang or inappropriate version of the word, just penis. The same word they teach our kids in school with sex ed.”

A spokesperson for Allegiant Air told Newsweek: “On Dec. 12, aboard Allegiant flight 3171, departing Flint bound for Punta Gorda, two passengers became disruptive and verbally abusive after boarding the aircraft. When crew members instructed them to cease their unruly behavior, the passengers failed to comply. As a result, both were deplaned and reaccommodated to other flights. This decision was made with the utmost safety of our customers and crew members in mind. Unruly behavior from a passenger presents a safety risk. Failing to comply with a crew member’s instructions is a violation of FAA regulations. Allegiant does not tolerate disruptive, abusive, or unruly behavior of any kind.”

Once off the plane Bauer and his father-in-law were instructed to wait for a Flint airport officer.

“He didn’t know why we were kicked off,” said Bauer. Stuck in Flint, the pair were forced to make other travel arrangements.

Different Airline

“We ended up driving to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and flew on Spirit Airlines on December 12 to make it down to Florida,” said Bauer. “We had to pay for another ticket on Spirit. I won’t ever fly Allegiant again.”

As well as the “penis” comment, Bauer also believes that his attire played a part in him being singled out and removed from the flight.

“I was wearing a ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ shirt. I believe the airline supervisor targeted me for this,” he explained.

The phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” has become a political slogan and internet meme after chants of “F*** Joe Biden” at sporting events in September 2021 were incorrectly described by NBC sports reporter Kelli Stavast as “Let’s Go Brandon.” The slogan has since become popular with Republican politicians and critics of Biden.

Allegiant Air didn’t specifically comment on the shirt when asked by Newsweek.

Bauer told Newsweek that Allegiant Air did provide a full refund for the flight. He said: “It’s nice to get the money back, [but I’m] not sure I would fly with them again.”