More air rage - despite informed consent on masks

A flight to London cut short by mask refuseniks

An American Airlines flight from Miami to London turned around some 90 minutes into the flight after an hour after a passenger reportedly refused to mask up.

This keeps happening — and I don’t know why. Because it’s no surprise that you have to wear a mask when you fly. As I’ve written before, you stipulate that you have to wear a mask when you buy a plane ticket, and the mask-mandate isn’t exactly a secret.

Former FAA counsel Gregory S. Walden has a great analogy for the mask mandate on planes. You can smoke on the sidewalk, he told me, but not on a plane. “You don’t have freedom of movement on an airplane,” Walden noted.

In 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration investigated 146 unruly passenger incidents. For 2020, the number spiked to more than 1,000.

According to news reports, authorities escorted the passenger off the plane but did not charge the passenger who caused the turnaround, but American Airlines let it be known that she has been put on a list of passengers banned to fly American.

Former FAA counsel Gregory S. Walden has a great analogy for the mask mandate on planes. You can smoke on the sidewalk, he told me, but not on a plane. “You don’t have freedom of movement on an airplane,” Walden noted.

Alcohol? It’s definitely been a factor for some of these air rage incidents.

Passsengers can be and are fined for these incidents — and that’s a good thing. Airlines are running on fumes — and this is the sort of event that prompts flight crews to join the Great Resignation.

During COVID, we’ve all had moments where we are sick of being told what to do — but that doesn’t mean you can act like a two-year-old.

Debra J. Saunders is a fellow at the Discovery Institute's Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership. Contact her at dsaunders@discovery.org.