Twenty members of the same family - including 10 kids - are kicked off American Airlines flight from Utah 'because one of them accidentally dropped their mask below their nose'
A family of 20, including 10 adults and 10 children, was removed from an American Airlines flight that departed from Salt Lake City on Sunday after the face covering worn by one of the passengers accidentally fell below their nose.
The incident took place just as an American Airlines flight was set to depart Salt Lake City for Dallas on Sunday.
According to Scott Wilson, he and his 19 relatives boarded the flight and were settling in when one family member's mask momentarily slipped beneath their nose before quickly correcting it.
Moments later, they were told that they needed to get off the plane by a member of the crew.
‘He said, “Well, they want you to leave the plane”,’ Wilson told KSL-TV.
‘I said, “What, they want us to get off the plane? Can we talk, can we have a conversation?”
A family of 20 people - including 10 adults and 10 children - were removed from an American Airlines flight on Sunday after the flight crew accused them of being non-compliant with their mask policy. The above image is a file photo of an American Airlines plane flying into San Diego International Airport in April
‘Nobody has even really talked to us.’
Wilson said that the gate agent left and then returned once again, telling him that the crew wanted the whole family off the flight.
‘He says, “I’m sorry, it has to be the whole family”,’ Wilson said.
All 10 adults and 10 children, whose ages range from 3 to 13 years old, left the plane, but they say other passengers supported the family.
‘There was actually a couple families around us that stood up and was like, “This is wrong, that guy is being a jerk.”
‘He was yelling at other people as they came on, too, and he was already mad at these guys.
‘They didn’t do anything,’ Wilson said.
A witness told KSL-TV that the family was complying with the face mask rules and that the gate manager erred in removing them from the flight.
The witness said he tried to speak to airline personnel in hopes of reversing the decision, but to no avail.
Fortunately, other agents at the airport in Salt Lake City were sympathetic to the family, so they arranged for them to board other American, United, and Delta flights to their ultimate destination - Hawaii.
One of the family members was accused of allowing their face covering to fall beneath their nose, prompting the entire family's removal. The above image is a September 2020 file photo of Salt Lake City International Airport
‘They were livid,’ Wilson said of the helpful gate agents who rebooked their flights.
‘They were mad at this guy and said, “He is the one with the problem, you guys did nothing wrong. We’ve never seen anything like this. We’ve never had a situation like this, and he was totally in the wrong by doing what he did”.’
The airline said in a statement: ‘On Sunday, January 24, passengers traveling on American Airlines flight 1214 from Salt Lake City International Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport 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 US 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.’