CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) – A woman was caught on video yelling at an American Airlines crew and passengers during a flight from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Washington, D.C.
The passenger who recorded the video says that another woman asked her to wear her mask properly. According to the man, it was not covering her nose. That’s when things escalated and he says he recorded it to have proof in case anything happened.
The woman can be heard yelling, “If we don’t stand up, it’s only going to get worse.”
“Wear your mask,” one passenger said to the woman.
“Get her off,” another could be heard saying.
Federal Marshals on the flight stepped in to deescalate the situation. Authorities escorted the woman off the plane once it landed.
The woman claimed to have received the vaccine and that she could not breathe with a mask on, according to the man who recorded the video.
Passengers cheered as police escorted the woman off the plane.
In a statement, American Airlines says the customer is being placed on its internal refusal list pending further investigation and thanked the crew for their professionalism.
“I wish I could say this is the only video we’ve seen over the past week or so but we have too many to count,” Paul Hartshorn Jr. said, a spokesperson for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
“I wish I could say this is the only video we’ve seen over the past week or so but we have too many to count.”
Paul Hartshorn Jr., spokesperson for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants
The union is asking airlines to take a strong stance against this type of behavior according to Harstorn.
No federal law requires airline passengers to wear masks, instead, airlines set their own rules.
“Anyone exhibiting threatening, abusive behavior should be added to a no-fly list and we are currently in discussions with other labor unions and lawmakers in D.C. as to what that would look like but make no mistake the action needs to be swift,” added Hartshorn.
Mask non-compliance is increasing and it has over the past six months according to Hartshorn. It’s not so much as passengers board flights but after take-off.