American Airlines said Monday that it had contacted Senator Ted Cruz after a widely shared photograph showed he was not wearing a mask on one of his flights.
The photo, posted to Twitter Sunday night by an employee of the Democratic Congress Campaign Committee, shows Mr. Cruz unmasked as he holds a cup of coffee on a flight.
Another photo shows Mr. Cruz, a Texas Republican, sitting outside the flight gate, also without a mask. A photo shared on a different Twitter account on Monday appears to show Mr. Cruz wearing a red, black and white mask on a flight.
A representative from Mr. Cruz’s office said the senator wore a mask to his face when traveling and that he had temporarily removed the mask to eat or drink when he was photographed without one.
“Senator Cruz has repeatedly said since the start of the pandemic that we must follow science, listen to public health experts and take common sense steps to curb the spread of Covid-19 and reopen our economy,” the spokeswoman said in an email. “That includes wearing face masks, washing hands, and distancing yourself socially when possible.”
Hosseh Enad, who shared the photos of Mr. Cruz without a mask, works for the Democratic Congress Campaign Committee, a political action committee that works to elect Democratic candidates for the United States House of Representatives.
Mr. Enad later wrote that the photos were taken by a friend of a friend. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
It is unclear who took the picture of Mr. Cruz wearing a mask or when it was taken.
An American Airlines spokesperson confirmed that Mr. Cruz flew with one of his national regional partners on Sunday and said the company reviewed the incident.
“As we do in all cases like these, we review the details of the matter,” the spokesperson wrote in an email Monday afternoon. “And although our policy does not apply while eating or drinking, we have contacted Senator Cruz to affirm the importance of this policy as part of our commitment to protect the health and safety of the traveling public.”
American Airlines announced in mid-June that it would require passengers to cover their faces while boarding their planes and that it would deny boarding to passengers who refused to comply. The policy allows facial covers to be removed while eating or drinking.
Travelers have used social media to report inconsistencies in airline face mask policies and to share examples of when the rules don’t apply.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended using non-medical facial covers to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
