A cabin full of pandemic-weary travelers looking to escape to the Bahamas were forced to get off a jet airplane and wait a day after several teenage passengers refused to wear masks, American Airlines said.
Nassau-bound Flight 893 was scheduled to depart Charlotte Douglas International Airport Monday morning but did not take off until Tuesday after the airline kicked several teenagers off.
The group of 30 “disruptive” teens who refused to wear masks were belligerent and blatantly ignored crew members' instructions prompting their removal from the airplane, the Dallas-area airline alleged. The oldest person in the group was 22-years old.
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“They were being very obnoxious,” one passenger told WSOC-TV. “I would say 75% to 80% of them were being terrible kids, saying smart stuff.”
The group that organized the trip, Breakaway Beach, said 47 students had boarded the plane, but only one student caused an issue. American Airlines blamed the entire group of 30 high school graduates it removed.
“The group was treated in an improper and overly harsh manner, causing unnecessary stress and aggravation to the travelers and their parents from afar,” said trip organizer Eugene Winer in an interview with CNN.
Winer detailed how the entire cabin waited aboard the plane for nearly two hours without ventilation or air conditioning while mechanics addressed an issue with the plane, prompting a student to remove their mask.
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In a statement, the FAA said it is aware of the incident and investigating. The agency has received at least 3,200 complaints this year regarding disorderly passengers, the majority of which surround the federal mask mandate.