Passengers applaud as woman gets kicked off aircraft for refusing to wear mask

On Sunday, July 19 an American Airlines flight got delayed as a woman refused to follow the company's Covid-19 prevention rules. Passenger Jordan Slade started recording the angry woman taking her time to gather her things after being told that she had no option but to deboard. Slade uploaded the video on TikTok and it went viral.

The woman, tagged online as a "Karen," was not allowed to fly as she did not have a face mask on. As her anti-face mask stance breached the airline's policy, she was told to deboard the flight. Her departure was met with applause from the other passengers. The unnamed woman snapped back at the passengers before stepping out of view.

In the video, the woman is seen gathering three carry-on bags from the overhead storage. She then turns around and walks off towards the exit. As she shuffles with her bags towards the door the other passengers can be heard applauding. Just before exiting, the woman turns around and says "You can clap all you want." Another passenger is heard telling the woman to leave as the other passengers have flights to catch.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Slade narrated the events preceding the recording. She said that the woman had been behaving rudely since before boarding the flight. The woman demanded to be boarded before others. Once on the plane, she was asked to wear a protective face cover as per the company's policy. She told the cabin crew that she would not wear a mask.

Slade revealed that another passenger confronted the woman about putting others at risk by not wearing a mask. She responded by saying she has a medical condition due to which she would not wear a mask. However, she did not offer any supporting evidence or documents to justify her stance.

Finally, she was informed that she would not be allowed to fly without a mask. What followed was captured on video by Slade.

The woman's actions did delay the flight and the aircraft had to turn back for refuelling before it could take off. Slade said she recorded the incident as the woman had caused an inconvenience to so many people with her stubborn actions.

People on multiple social media platforms criticised the woman for her behaviour and called her a "Karen." Some questioned why she was allowed to board the flight in the first place as she did not have a mask on. Most commenters appreciated the action taken by the airline to ensure the safety of their passengers.