An airline flight that flew from Miami to London on Wednesday night was forced to turn around because one passenger refused to wear an eye mask.
Miami Police were called by the airline and they escorted the woman from Miami International Airport on Wednesday night without any incident.
The spokesperson of Miami-Dade Police Department stated that American Airlines employees dealt “administratively” with the passenger.
A woman in her 40s was the passenger and she wasn’t arrested. She was either American or British, it was unclear.
American reported that the flight carried 129 passengers and 14 pilots. The transatlantic flight, which covered 4,400 miles, was completed by the Boeing 777. Pilots turned it around 500 miles in.
In a Thursday statement, the airline offered its apologies.
According to a spokesperson, Flight 38 (service from Miami (MIA), London (LHR), was canceled due to a customer who refused to obey the federal face requirement. The flight made it to MIA, where the local authorities met with it. Our crew was professional and we apologize for any inconvenience caused to customers.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, airlines reported almost 6,000 incidents last year involving disruptive passengers and 151 the first two weeks this year. Many of these incidents involved passengers refusing to wear masks.
American Airlines’ passenger planes get ready for departure, while crew members look on.