Passengers brawled on an American Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Charlotte after one refused to wear a mask
- Video footage shows a fight breaking out between two American Airlines passengers on board a plane preparing to take off from Las Vegas to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday.
- The airline said a passenger ended up fighting with others after being asked to leave the plane for refusing to comply with the airline's mask policy.
- American requires face coverings on its flights.
- Like other major airlines, it has removed passengers who refused to comply without a medical exemption.
A fight broke out on an American Airlines flight on Monday, with the airline saying it began after a passenger refused to wear a mask.
Footage of the incident — which took place before takeoff on a service from Las Vegas to Charlotte, North Carolina — was shared by a Twitter user named Caryn Ross.
It shows two women wrestling in the aisles, at one point falling into a row of seats, while other passengers watched.
Ross shared the video with the comment "So much for social distancing!"
You can watch the footage here:
An American Airlines representative told Fox News that a passenger became disruptive after being asked to leave the plane for refusing to put on a mask.
"On Monday, a customer on American Airlines Flight 1665 with service from Las Vegas to Charlotte failed to comply with our mandatory face-covering policy after boarding the aircraft prior to departure," the representative said.
"In accordance with our policy, the customer was subsequently asked to leave the aircraft and became disruptive, resulting in an altercation with other passengers."
Earlier reports said the fight might also have been related to seat assignments. Ross' husband, Jack Ross, credited with filming the footage she posted, told the news organization Storyful that this was the case, CTV News reported.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, American Airlines requires face coverings to be worn on its planes, as do other US airlines.
Its policy says: "You're required to wear a face covering from the time you enter the airport where your trip begins until you leave the airport where your trip ends."
Passengers with a medical reason for not wearing a mask are exempt. Otherwise, the airline says it will refuse to fly them.
American has removed other passengers from flights for not wearing a mask.