Frontier Airlines passengers say they were treated like criminals because their toddler couldn't keep his mask on while eating

• A family reportedly left a Frontier Airlines flight over a mask dispute involving their child.
• They said Frontier was treating them like criminals because their toddler didn't keep his mask on.
• The airline was issuing a refund to the family, according to KXAN.

An airline passenger said she felt that she was being treated like a criminal on a Frontier flight when her toddler couldn't keep his mask on.

Rebecca Sylvia-Cramer, her 2-year-old son, her 4-year-old daughter, and her mother were all set to fly from Denver to Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, local outlet KXAN reported.

Sylvia-Cramer, who had given her son a lollipop, which meant he was unmasked while eating it.

"I had one [mask] ready for both my kids, and I said, 'He's eating now.' It's my understanding that if kids are eating, they can take their masks off," she told KXAN.

Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The news followed a similar incident in July, where a family said two Southwest Airlines flight attendants and a gate agent treated them like criminals when their toddler could not keep his mask on.

When the family feared police were being called to arrest them, they voluntarily stepped off the flight, according to KRON4. They vowed to never fly on Southwest Airlines again, the outlet reported.

In the Frontier incident, Sylvia-Cramer said her son was first approached by a flight attendant, who told him he needed to stop playing with the armrest. There were no passengers in the rows nearby, Sylvia-Cramer told KXAN.

She said that when she was told crew members were trying to decide whether her family should catch another flight, they voluntarily got off the plane.

According to KXAN, Sylvia-Cramer was in tears when she addressed the cabin crew. "I stood up, and I said, 'I'm so sorry. I'm pregnant, and I have two toddlers, and I'm just doing the best I can,'" she said.

The passenger said she believed in the value of face masks as they have kept her family safe. "My son has a kidney issue, and I am pregnant, so we can't get sick," she told the outlet.

KXAN reported that the airline is, however, issuing a refund for Sylvia-Cramer, who said she ended up driving from Denver to Austin.

Earlier this month, an unruly Frontier passenger was duct-taped to his seat. The airline said it supported the crew's actions, as Insider's Sinéad Baker reported.

Have you been affected by airlines' COVID-19 rules and regulations? Email this reporter at ztayeb@insider.com. Always use a non-work email.