American Airlines London-bound flight turns back after passenger refuses to wear mask

AA flight turns back over the Atlantic after mask dispute.

 

A London-bound American Airlines plane turned back to Miami Thursday because a passenger refused to wear a Covid mask, the airline said.

 

Flight AA38, a Boeing 777 with 129 passengers and 14 crew members onboard, was less than an hour in the air when a female passenger removed her mask and would not put it back on.

 

The captain made the decision to turn the aircraft where police were waiting.

 

The plane landed back at Miami International Airport one hour and 48 minutes after it departed.

 

“American Airlines flight 38 with service from Miami (MIA) to London (LHR) returned to MIA due to a disruptive customer refusing to comply with the federal mask requirement,” American Airlines said in a statement.

 

“We thank our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

 

According to reports, police escorted the passenger off the plane without incident upon arrival in Miami.

 

“Once the plane made it to the gate, the passenger was escorted off the plane by MDPD officers without incident. The passenger was then dealt with administratively by American Airlines staff,” said Detective A. Colome from the Miami-Dade Police Department.

 

The unnamed passenger has been placed on a list of people barred from flying with American Airlines.

 

Reports of unruly passenger behaviour on planes continue to surge as Covid-19 safety requirements remain in place when flying.

 

Last year there were 5,981 incidents reported, with more than 71% tied to disputes over the federal mask mandate.

 

The FAA announced a “zero tolerance” policy for unruly passenger behaviour that skips warnings or counselling and goes directly to penalties, which can include heavy fines and jail time.