A man claims he managed to barely wear a face mask during his flight to Tenerife by making a tube of Pringles last the duration of the four-hour trip.
Michael Richards, from Huddersfield, UK, was jetting off on holiday with his family last Tuesday (25 August) when he hatched the plan to avoid wearing his 'uncomfortable' face mask.
The 41-year-old - who was kicked out of The X Factor's audition room in 2005 - worked out that he ate the notoriously moreish crisps at a rate of one every two-and-a-half-minutes to keep his face mask-free on the EasyJet flight.
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It is mandatory to wear a mask while flying with the airline, except while eating and drinking - because you know, it's impossible to do both simultaneously (though it is definitely possible to put your mask on for two-minute periods between eating single Pringles).
Elaborating on his feat, entertainer Michael said: "When you're spending four hours on a plane you think of stuff, and I thought the only way you don't have to wear a mask on a plane is if you're eating or drinking.
"So I thought I'd take my time eating these Pringles to see how long they'd last, and I kept nibbling away, but it was hard because once you pop you can't stop, you know.
"I'd say I only had to wear a mask for about 10 minutes of the flight and that was when I had to get up to use the toilet and to get my suitcase down.
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"When we landed, I Googled how many Pringles were in a tube and it's about 100 Pringles.
"Then I divided that by the time of the flight and that's one per two-and-a-half minutes.
"So if you sat there munching, you can pretty much get through a whole flight without wearing a mask."
Michael detailed his Pringles ploy on Facebook and received some praise from mask skeptics for his 'good idea', although one person commented: "Glad I was not on that plane."
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Michael said the criticism didn't bother him though because 'they're sitting at home in the UK in rainy weather and we're sunning it up in Tenerife'.
An easyJet spokesman said: "Passengers receive clear communications before they travel and via announcements onboard to ensure they are aware that, in line with new guidelines, they are required to wear a face mask onboard except when eating or drinking.
"Whilst our cabin crew will always try to be vigilant to ensure that passengers comply with the requirement to wear a mask, no issues were raised with the crew about this passenger's behaviour during the flight.
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"It is the responsibility of all onboard to adhere to these measures for the health and safety of everyone onboard."
Topics: Food, Coronavirus, travel, Face Masks