A video appeared this week showing a plane loaded with passengers applauding when a woman who refuses to wear a mask is forced to leave an American Airlines flight.
In the video, the recalcitrant passenger collects her belongings and exits the plane after a crew member tried not to cover her face. It seems that she is the only person on board the plane without a mask.
The passenger recording the Tik-Tok video says, “Start clapping,” and when the applause occurs, the clearly agitated passenger says, “You can clap as much as you want.” To which another passenger yells, “Just go!”
This week, American, along with most other airlines, cracked down on passengers who refused to wear face covers on the flight or in airport boarding areas. In a statement about the incident, American reiterated its policy that the airline will now “deny boarding to customers who refuse to cover their faces …”
Most airlines strengthened the rules on face coatings on board this week, and many no longer allow exceptions to the mandatory requirements. For example, Delta said it would require passengers who allege “medical reasons” not to wear masks to attend an interview with a Delta-designated doctor at the airport, a process that could take up to an hour. The strengthened United States policy includes “all areas of the airports where American operates, including the Admirals Club VIP lounges, as well as on board all American flights and does not allow exemptions for those over 2 years of age.”
Southwest this week issued an update to its policy, warning passengers that, beginning July 27, it will not allow exemptions or exceptions to rules that require face coverage in the fight, except for children under the age of two. “If a customer is unable to wear a mask or face mask for any reason, Southwest regrets that we cannot transport the person. In those cases, we hope that the client will allow us to welcome them on board in the future, if public health guidance or other safety-related circumstances, regarding changes in facial coatings, “the airline said.
