Woman kicked off plane for not wearing face mask — and passengers applaud, video shows

A woman was kicked off an American Airlines flight for not wearing a face mask, a video shows.

In the video posted on Twitter on Sunday, a woman can be seen collecting her carry-on bags as she prepares to exit the plane. She’s not wearing a mask in the video.

“Start the clap,” one passenger says before the plane erupts in applause.

“You can clap all you want,” the woman says before getting off the plane.

American Airlines told Newsweek in a statement about the incident that it “requires customers to wear a face covering while on board aircraft.” The airline “will deny boarding to customers who don’t comply. American now may also deny future travel for customers who refuse to wear a face covering. American made this change after working in conjunction with Airlines for America on an industrywide response. We believe the face covering requirement is important, so customers will notice more reminders of our policy as they travel with us, both at the airport and in flight.”

McClatchy News has reached out to American Airlines for comment.

The airline expanded its face coverings policy this week, requiring customers to wear masks in “all areas of the airports at which American operates, including Admirals Club lounges, as well as on board all American flights and does not allow for exemptions for those over 2 years old.”

Face coverings can only be removed when passengers are eating or drinking, the airline said in a statement.

“Those unwilling to comply with this face covering requirement at any time during their journey with American may be barred from future travel for the duration of this face covering requirement,” American Airlines wrote.

The CDC issued recommendations to wear masks “in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said leaders should be “be as forceful as possible” in getting people to wear masks, CNN reported.

“When you’re living your life and trying to open up the country, you are going to come into contact with people. And for that reason, we know that masks are really important, and we should be using them everywhere,” he said during a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event, according to CNN.

More than 4 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed and more than 145,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S. as of July 24, according to Johns Hopkins University.

This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Woman kicked off plane for not wearing face mask — and passengers applaud, video shows."