PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – For a group of Pittsburgh women, their spring vacation to Florida was wonderful, until they stepped onto a Southwest Airlines plane to return home to Pennsylvania. “I felt bad that I was sneezing, but it was my allergies. I said to her (the flight attendant) I’m fully vaccinated. I didn’t want people to feel uncomfortable,” said Kelly Smith. Kelly Smith along with her sister, mother and friend were on Southwest flight 4427, which was scheduled to depart West Palm Beach and head toward home, when she started to sneeze. Smith tells Channel 11, the flight attendant brought her tissues for her to use, which she did, by removing her mask. Moments after doing so, Smith was being escorted off of the aircraft. The women tell Channel 11, after being removed from the aircraft, they had to purchase a hotel room for the evening, because Southwest Airlines rebooked them on a flight more than an hour away, at a different airport. Southwest Airlines sent a statement pertaining to this incident that reads in-part, “Our reports indicate this Customer was not wearing a mask properly on multiple occasions while onboard the aircraft and in the presence of other Customers and Crew. Southwest Airlines says they regret the inconvenience Smith and her party experienced, but that they were following federal guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.