Refusal to wear face mask sends flight back to gate at Detroit airport, Delta says
A Delta Air Lines flight headed for Los Angeles returned to the gate Saturday night in Detroit after a woman aboard the plane refused to wear a face mask, airline officials say.
Flight 201 had been scheduled to depart at 8:15 p.m., The Detroit Free Press reported. But the plane returned to the gate at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport before takeoff.
A woman aboard the plane who had refused to wear a face mask in compliance with Delta policies to curb the spread of coronavirus was removed without incident, The Detroit News reported.
“Delta requires masks on every flight for the safety of our customers and crew,” said spokeswoman Kristin Seay, reported Deadline Detroit.
The plane took off about 45 minutes late and arrived in Los Angeles with 84 passengers, The Detroit Free Press reported.
In a Twitter post, Alexis Wiley, chief of staff to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, wrote that her mother had been on the flight and posted a video of a passenger departing the plane.
My mom’s @Delta flight from Detroit to LA just turned around and went back to the gate because a passenger refused to wear a mask. Flight attendants announced masks are non negotiable! Thank you @Delta for putting passenger safety first! @LASpeech pic.twitter.com/vuMUl3fQVH
— Alexis Wiley (@AlexisWileyNews) September 13, 2020
Pamela Wiley told her daughter the woman had worn a face mask while boarding, but refused to put it back on after being seated, The Detroit News reported. She said flight attendants were “polite, but resolute,” according to the publication.
“They really tried to work with her, it was very well done,” Pamela Wiley said, The Detroit Free Press reported. “I was really pleased that they cared enough about the rest of us, and their own health and safety, because they know that this is the rule and there is no exception.”
More than 29 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide with more than 925,000 deaths as of Sept. 14, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 6.5 million confirmed cases with more than 194,000 deaths.
