After a London-bound American Airlines flight, passengers returned to Miami on Wednesday night. The woman who refused to use a mask claimed she was intoxicated. Flight crew members also reported that the passenger had been abusive and pleaded for the federal protocol to be followed.
Steve Freeman, a witness from the scene, said Thursday that there had been a lot drinking and that he was anxious.
‘She sat behind us in first class — she was a first-class passenger and was extremely abusive to the stewards.’
The flight attendant offered the unidentified passenger different types of masks, but to no avail.
‘She tried loads of different masks, complained about each mask,’ Freeman said
Flight 38 was in the air for approximately an hour when it came to a standstill. The FAA stated that Flight 38 had to return due to a “disruptive customer” refusing to conform to the federal mask requirements.

Steve (right), and Teresa Freeman left were surprised that no one arrested the American Airlines first class passenger. Her apparently drunken behavior caused a flight bound for London to fly back to Miami. A woman in her 40s is charged with being unruly and being abusive towards flight crew members.
Freeman was on a trip with his wife from London to London. He said that the reason he turned the flight around wasn’t about her mask but about how she treated their cabin crew.
He stated that the stewards had made numerous attempts to convince the lady to comply with protocols.
We almost believed that something would happen. I could see the writing on the wall — they gave her a lot of warnings, so we were kind of ready for it,’ he recalled.
“It was not about the mask. It was abusive behavior.
He was stunned the woman was not taken into custody, saying: ‘I can’t see what more would constitute grounds for arrest.’
Miami-Dade officers boarded and removed the woman from the aircraft. However, unlike hundreds of passengers who were arrested since federal laws concerning face coverings have been implemented, the girl was not detained.
According to a police spokesperson, American Airlines employees dealt with the first-class passenger ‘administratively. This resulted in her being put on the no fly list until further investigations. American offers first-class tickets starting at $5,000 and ending up to $9,000.
She caused problems logistically for Freemans, and other passengers who were on board the flight. Some of them ended up stranded at Miami when the transatlantic flight was cancelled.
Many passengers had no choice but to sleep in the hotel to be able to board a flight that was rebooked for Thursday.
“I saw an elderly mother and her child. An elderly woman was there. Teresa Freeman was Steven’s spouse and said there was an older lady.
“There were just so many people who were distressed last night.”

American Airlines’ flight to London was diverted about 500 miles from its 4,400-mile trip from Miami.

American Airlines reported that there were 129 people on board and 14 crew. Teresa Freeman (not photographed) stated that many felt distressed by the turn around: “I saw a mother and her little child. An elderly woman was there. The young lady was on her own.
Despite the high stress and chaos, passenger Theresa Green lauded American for taking care of her and her fellow travelers.
They took good care of us. Green explained that the hotel staff put them up in nice rooms. I’ve enjoyed a wonderful day. So, I’m happy. So it was all worth it.
American Airlines spokeswoman told DailyMail.com all passengers were on board other flights.
Many were angry at the insufficient information that was provided to them about why the flight had returned to Miami.
“On the tracker I was looking at the flight, and I noticed the flight turn. I then said: [Steve]Teresa Freeman recalls that she believes the flight is going back on Thursday.
“It took about 15 minutes for the announcement to come.

The spokesperson for the police said that the woman had not been arrested because she was in compliance with local law. American Airlines personnel dealt “administratively” with the passenger. She was placed on the no-fly listing until further investigation.

A large number of passengers needed to remain overnight in Miami for Thursday to be able to catch the re-booked flight. American Airlines spokesperson said that customers had been re-accommodated on another flight.
Another passenger told CBS4: ‘We weren’t given any instructions, just told that we had to go back and now we can’t get our luggage.’
Another passenger said that they didn’t say much and did not think they shared any information with the flight attendants. They would only say there had been an extreme event and they needed to go back.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that airlines had nearly 6000 incidents with unruly passengers in 2013 and another 151 this year. Many of these incidents involved passengers refusing to wear masks.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the federal mask mandate — which requires travelers to wear masks inside airports and on airplanes to reduce the spread of the coronavirus — in January 2021.
TSA extended its mandate last August to March 18, 2022. The mandate for masks has already been extended multiple times.
In September, President Joe Biden raised the Federal Penalty for those refusing mask their faces on flights to $500.