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Home  >  American Airlines  >  American Airlines Kicks 20 People Off Flight Over Accidental Mask Slip
American Airlines

American Airlines Kicks 20 People Off Flight Over Accidental Mask Slip

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 29, 2021 20 Comments

A family of 20 traveling to Hawaii on American Airlines was kicked off after one passenger inadvertently let his mask slip down below his nose while boarding. This according to the family and an eyewitness. But American Airlines disputes that account.

Large Family Kicked Off American Airlines Flight After Mask Slip

The family was traveling from Salt Lake City to Honolulu via Dallas on American Airlines. American claims the family was removed for not wearing their masks correctly:

On Sunday, Jan. 24, passengers traveling on American Airlines flight 1214 from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) were reported to be noncompliant with our mandatory face covering policy, which requires face coverings be worn properly over the nose and mouth. Per procedure, the customers involved were asked to exit the aircraft before departure and the flight departed for DFW shortly after.

American, like other U.S. airlines, began requiring customers to wear a face covering while on board aircraft beginning May 11. We have since strengthened our policy to require face coverings be worn at airports and on board, and announced in June that we may deny future travel for customers who refuse to wear a face covering for the duration of this requirement.

But that’s hardly a detailed account and the family counters that one person from their party had a “slip-up” which was promptly corrected. An eyewitness corroborates this account, noting the family was wearing masks at all times and was “unfairly removed.” In an interview with KSL-TV, one of the family members points out that the crew never corrected them, the captain never spoke to them, and the gate agent simply blamed the flight crew.

Furthermore, American Airlines not only rebooked them on a later flight, but rebooked them on competitors Delta and United (getting 20 people on the same flight is not easy).

CONCLUSION

All speculation on my part, but I suspect one person was not wearing a mask correctly and did not self-correct it promptly. The problem was likely resolved by counsel, but that was not enough for flight attendants. Either way, throwing the entire family off for the transgression of one seems like far too much.

(H/T: View From The Wing // image: BriYYZ / Wikimedia Commons)

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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20 Comments

  1. Occam Reply
    January 29, 2021 at 3:07 pm

    It’s possible they were treated harshly, and it’s possible AA is in the wrong. But it’s 100% impossible to believe – and gives them almost zero credibility for saying – that an “accidental slip” that was “corrected immediately” was punished in such a way. Utter nonsense. Impossible. Given their yarn, the GA/FA saw this “accidental slip” and automatically knew that all 20 needed to deboard. It defies any sense of logic.

    Occam’s Razor suggests something entirely different.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 29, 2021 at 3:08 pm

      It does, but I was thrown off by an erratic, lying, crazy FA for taking a picture of my seat. Sometimes logic doesn’t apply.

    • Santastico Reply
      January 29, 2021 at 3:24 pm

      I keep saying that since 9/11, FAs became the most obnoxious people on Earth. They just feel entitled to make people’s lives miserable. It is basically your word against theirs and unfortunately you will always lose. As for masks slipping off the nose that is very common. Many masks are very uncomfortable to wear and they are not tailored made to a special face shape. I have seen my kids wearing different brands of masks, some fit very well and some don’t no matter how much they try.

      • Occam Reply
        January 29, 2021 at 3:55 pm

        Santastico, nobody is saying that it’s impossible for a mask to slip. Quite the contrary. It’s impossible to believe that a FA not only used a truly accidental slip (which was “immediately” corrected) to eject someone from a plane, but also that the FA magically knew that every other person in the group needed to also be ejected. It makes absolutely no sense.

  2. Asarious Reply
    January 29, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    Based on anecdotal observation around Southern California, I’d assume the demeanor of such a large party traveling is together is probably highly casual. When at retailers, an inevitable minority of people I observe treat mask wearing as closer to using sunglasses on a sunny day rather than viewing an eclipse through solar filters.

    Here, masks are fiddled with. Masks are donned five steps into the store and ripped off halfway out the door. Noses hang out, either accidentally, intentionally, or ignorantly. A folded bandana is as good as a surgical mask. Being complaint 95% of the time is “good enough.”

    I imagine the attitudes in Salt Lake City or Dallas are similar.

    While we don’t know the circumstances of their travel, I assume such a large family is doing so for leisure, and with minor children. I have few doubts that at least one person either wore a mask improperly, or simply viewed it as a means to an end (i.e., a necessary evil to fly).

    I imagine the situation resulted from a flight attendant subconsciously forming a judgement against the travelers after observing what was perceived as a willful cavalier attitude toward mask wearing and subsequently exerting power to keep the situation under his/her control. Hell, there may have been other pressures too. Maybe they were late pushing back.

    I doubt the flight attendant was just looking to pick a fight, and the family was removed for no reason whatsoever, or that the family was truly “wearing masks 100% of the time.” At the same time, I believe a reasonable employee would have assessed ejecting 20 passengers to be too punitive for a situation that could’ve been corrected.

    Perhaps the entire family banded together in the defense of a single individual after being presented with the ultimatum “either he/she goes or you all go.” But… alas, I’m not sure we’ll ever know.

    • Santastico Reply
      January 29, 2021 at 4:25 pm

      Here is the problem. There is no rule for masks. Government just say you have to wear one but we all know that is BS. Yes, a mask “can” help to reduce virus spread but we all know that a mask bought at Etsy with your favorite logo on it will not do much. Same with face shields. Yes, it will probably avoid a sneeze to get into my face but don’t tell me a piece of plastic opened on the sides and underneath will stop a virus to get away. People can wear an underwear as a mask and they will still be in compliance. Thus, people get a false sense of protection just because they put a bandana or any piece of fabric on their faces and that is where it is dangerous. I went to see my primary care doctor and dentist the other day. Both are large clinics with dozens of professionals. I asked both if anyone there got Covid, The answer was ZERO. They have been working non stop during the pandemic but they wear real masks and gloves and know how to avoid getting sick. The regular Joe that wears a mask with a logo on it, not much.

  3. Occam Reply
    January 29, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    Santastico, nobody is saying that it’s impossible for a mask to slip. Quite the contrary. It’s impossible to believe that a FA not only used a truly accidental slip (which was “immediately” corrected) to eject someone from a plane, but also that the FA magically knew that every other person in the group needed to also be ejected. It makes absolutely no sense.

    • Christian Reply
      January 29, 2021 at 6:00 pm

      I agree with you that it’s just about impossible but Santastico obviously wants to believe what he wants to believe and he obviously wants to fault the airline. Props for your patience but trying to change someone’s mind when they’re adamant is an exercise in frustration.

      • Santastico Reply
        January 29, 2021 at 6:25 pm

        I was waiting for a snowflake comment. Where did I put the blame on the airline? I just said there are tons of stories of FAs going way out to make people’s lives miserable so you never know if that is the case.

  4. Mitch Cumstein Reply
    January 29, 2021 at 4:56 pm

    Mask Slip, Cancel Culture, and Forgiveness

  5. Carl WV Reply
    January 29, 2021 at 4:57 pm

    Were they all wearing family t-shirts or did they say it’s all or none? The one family member said “crew never corrected them” (plural), so I guess they were somehow obviously a group.

    There’s obviously more to this story. It begs the question of whether a family of 20 can constitute a class action suit. I’m amazed if they weren’t thinking law suit from the beginning and that will soon be coming up.

    Why was the eyewitness studying the group of 20 so close? The witness noted “the family was wearing masks at all times and was “unfairly removed”. “All times”? Did the “slip” happen all the way from the gate agent to the plane? Did any of the the family notice it?

  6. Stuart Reply
    January 29, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    No wonder Breeze is basing out of SLC. One Mormon family alone can fill half a regional jet.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 30, 2021 at 12:50 am

      LOL

  7. Jason Reply
    January 29, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    What’s the purpose of publishing an article based on second-hand accounting and making a conclusion about who was “right” and who was “wrong” in a situations like these that are clearly difficult for both parties? Who are we to judge, and why even try?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 29, 2021 at 10:52 pm

      We still have circumstantial evidence concerning the case and I find 20 people being thrown off a single flight newsworthy.

  8. Thomas Reply
    January 29, 2021 at 11:56 pm

    I’d like to get Mr. Klint’s reaction to this article.

    https://dennisprager.com/column/when-2-year-olds-are-thrown-off-airplanes-you-know-america-has-changed/

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 30, 2021 at 10:11 am

      Thomas, see here:

      https://liveandletsfly.com/united-two-year-olds-mask-policy/

      and here:

      https://liveandletsfly.com/eliz-orban-united-airlines-interview/
      https://liveandletsfly.com/couple-fly-delta-first-class/

  9. Tony Reply
    January 30, 2021 at 12:38 am

    So we’re going to believe the people who got kicked off the plane and not the airline? If the airlines are not banning/kicking off MAGA rioters from DC i highly doubt they kicked off a group of 20 people because one mask “slipped”

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 30, 2021 at 12:51 am

      Had they been acting poorly or refused to correct their masks, you really think they’d be able to hide that?

  10. Wes Reply
    January 30, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    This is a “50/50 ball” for me, to use a sports reference. Could go either way. I have seen the odd power-tripping FA being completely irrational (and AA has more than a sprinkling of these in its ranks), but if logic applies and a regular FA was involved then this seems like a stretch and there’s a lot not being told. Odds are we will never know the truth.

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