Eva Deschamps / January 21, 2022
An American Airlines plane flying from Miami, U.S., to London, U.K., turned back midway Thursday when one of the passengers refused to wear her mask, the airline said in a statement.
American Airlines Flight 38 from Miami to London returned to Miami due to a disruptive customer refusing to comply with the federal mask requirement, American Airlines said in a statement sent to AFP. The Boeing 777, which was carrying 129 passengers and 14 crew members, was met on its return to Florida by Miami police. Once the plane arrived at the boarding gate, the passenger was escorted off the plane by the (Miami police) without incident, said a police official to CNN.
American Airlines said the customer involved in the incident has been placed on the company's internal rejection list pending further investigation.
The U.S. civil aviation regulator (FAA) declared in January 2021 a zero-tolerance policy toward passengers who refuse to wear masks, as airline flight crews faced a huge number of reported cases of verbal or physical abuse from people refusing to comply with the requirement.