CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An American Airlines flight to the Bahamas from Charlotte Douglas International Airport was delayed after some passengers were being disruptive.
The airline confirmed the flight was delayed until Tuesday for all customers, and passengers were provided meal vouchers and hotel rooms for the extended stay in Charlotte.
The airline confirmed the flight was delayed until Tuesday for all customers, and passengers were provided meal vouchers and hotel rooms for the extended stay in Charlotte.
According to a spokesperson with American Airlines, Flight 893 from Charlotte to Nassau, Bahamas had some passengers that were non-compliant with the federal mask mandate. Those passengers then became disruptive to other customers and refused to follow crew member instructions while on board.
“Per procedure, the customers involved were asked to exit the aircraft. We expect our customers to comply with our policies when they choose to fly with us, and we take action when that is not the case,” American Airlines said in a news release.
American Airlines said internal reports show that the group was reminded of the face-covering policy several times by crew members.
Stephanie Krzywanski, a passenger on the plane, said the first flight to the Bahamas was delayed due to a mechanical issue. That’s when the situation with the unruly passengers happened. Krzywanski said it was a group of high school students going to celebrate in the Bahamas for graduation and they were not following protocols.
At this time, it’s not publicly known exactly how many unruly passengers were on board.
All the passengers were then directed to another aircraft due to the first plane experiencing mechanical problems. It was at the point when the conflict with the students was not able to be resolved, with the students’ reportedly trying to get on the new plane, causing the second flight to be under an “extended delay” until tomorrow.
