Passengers cheer as woman kicked off American Airlines flight after refusing to wear face mask

‘Just leave, we’ve got flights to get,’ shouts fellow passenger

Woman on American Airlines flight refuses to wear mask (Tiktok/Jordan Slade)

A woman was kicked off an American Airlines flight after she refused to wear a face mask onboard the aircraft.

The unnamed female was videoed by a fellow passenger as she was forced to depart the service from Ohio to North Carolina on 19 July.

The footage shows travellers cheering and clapping as she exits the plane.

“You can clap all you want,” the woman can be heard saying as she leaves the flight after gathering up her bags.

“Just leave, we’ve got flights to get,” shouts another passenger.

Jordan Slade, who captured the incident on film, described the woman as “argumentative”.

“She demanded to be boarded first and was causing an obvious scene,” Slade told the Daily Mail.

“Once boarded she was making phone calls and arguing with the attendant when asked to put her phone away.

“She also refused to wear a mask putting others on the flight at risk … Another passenger even got up to confront her about her behaviour with no mask.”

The woman claimed to have a health condition that prevented her from wearing a mask.

However, it is now mandatory for all passengers aged two and over to wear a mask on American Airlines flights.

AA updated its policy on face coverings on 15 July. It said in a statement: “American, like other U.S. airlines, already requires customers to wear a face covering while on board aircraft.

“American already enforces this policy at the gate and will deny boarding to customers who don’t comply. American now may also deny future travel for customers who refuse to wear a face covering.”

The Independent has approached the airline for further comment.

Many carriers have made face coverings compulsory in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Qatar Airways has taken measures a step further, and now requires all economy passengers to wear a face shield in addition to a mask.