An American Airlines Boeing 777-200 plane
Nicolas Economou | NurPhoto | Getty Images
American Airlines mentioned a flight to London returned to Miami as a result of a passenger refused to adjust to the federal mask requirement, the most recent flight disruption over a report of an unruly passenger.
American Airlines Flight 38, a Boeing 777 with 129 passengers and 14 crew members overseas, turned back for Miami late Wednesday about an hour into the journey, in accordance to flight-tracking web site FlightConscious.
The return was “due to a disruptive customer refusing to comply with the federal mask requirement,” American mentioned in a press release. “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 traveler has been banned from flying the airline pending an investigation, the service mentioned. The Miami-Dade Police Department did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
Reports of unruly habits on planes surged to a report 5,981 final 12 months, greater than 71% tied to disputes over a federal mask mandate that went into impact early final 12 months, although airways had required them because the coronavirus pandemic started.
Some incidents included bodily assault in opposition to crews. In October, an American Airlines flight attendant was hospitalized after a passenger allegedly struck her within the face, forcing the cross-country flight to divert.
