Flight to London returns to Miami due to passenger without mask

An American Airlines flight to London returned to Miami when a female passenger refused to comply with a federal government order to don a facemask, the airline said.

The airline called Miami police and the woman got off the plane at Miami International Airport escorted by officers and without incident. A spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department said American Airlines personnel “administratively” handled the situation.

The woman was placed on the airline’s internal no-fly list while the investigation continues, an American Airlines spokesman said. Airlines have banned many passengers for the remainder of the pandemic if they refuse to abide by rules intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

American Airlines indicated that there were 129 passengers and 14 crew members aboard the aircraft. The pilots effected the return of the Boeing 777 less than an hour after takeoff of the transatlantic flight, according to the FlightAware tracking service.

Airlines reported nearly 6,000 incidents involving unruly passengers last year and 151 in the first two weeks of this year, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Most of the cases involved passengers who refused to wear a facemask.

[Con información de The Associated Press]

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