(Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 10: American Airlines planes parked at their gates in the Miami International Airport on December 10, 2021 in Miami, Florida. The American Airlines company announced it will discontinue service to several international destinations in 2022 amid the ongoing shortage of Boeing 787 aircraft.
An American Airlines flight bound for London from Miami was canceled after one passenger refused to wear a mask while onboard the plane.
According to reports, the flight had already been on the air for almost two hours when the pilot decided to make a return for Miami.
Following their arrival, the passenger that refused to wear a mask was escorted out of the plane and was taken into custody. Her identity has not yet been revealed.
American Airlines releases statement
American Airlines spokeswoman Laura Masvidal later revealed that they added the woman to their internal refuse list pending further investigation.
"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. The flight landed safely at MIA where local law enforcement met the aircraft. We thank our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," the airline said in a statement via People.
American Airlines passengers disappointed, upset
Reports also revealed that there were 129 passengers on board the flight. And no one informed them why they had to make a return until after they arrived in Miami.
Another passenger revealed that even the flight attendants didn't know what was happening. After all, they just told the passengers that an extreme incident had just taken place, that's why they needed to turn around.
Number of unruly passengers increased during the pandemic
According to CNN, there have already been 151 unruly passenger reports logged from Jan. 1 to 21, 2022 alone. Of those, 92 incidents were mask-related.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a zero-tolerance policy for unruly passenger behavior. Those that will be proven guilty could face hefty fines and even jail time.
The Transportation Security Administration also announced last year that they would penalize travelers who refuse to wear masks. However, it's still unclear if the unnamed female passenger will be fined.
Joe Biden's federal maks mandates, face mask distribution
Joe Biden also announced that the federal mask mandates during flights will be extended until March 2022. The POTUS also confirmed this week that his administration would be distributing millions of free face masks across the United States. The goal is to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
According to USA Today, the masks can be picked up at one of the pharmacies across the country. Community centers and other locations will also be distributing the free N95 face masks in the coming days.
However, each individual will only be allowed to get three masks so that others can also have access to them.
In the coming months, the White House will also employ a similar strategy to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to pharmacies and community centers. This means that most Americans will be able to go to the same location where they received their vaccinations to get their free masks.
The 400 million masks that will be distributed in the coming weeks are on top of the 30 million masks that the Biden administration already distributed to food banks and community health centers.
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