The incident unfolded on Monday between three unidentified passengers aboard American Airlines flight 1665, which was scheduled to transport travelers from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Charlotte, North Carolina.
However, as the video shows, the trip did not exactly get off to the smoothest of starts, considering the brawl broke out in an aisle and eventually saw two of the three combatants exchange multiple blows and hair grabs before toppling over onto a nearby row of seats.
— Caryn Ross (@SuperSassyMama) August 17, 2020
The video itself was recorded by passenger Jack Ross and later shared on social media by his wife, KWTV news personality Caryn Ross, who remarked in her Twitter post, “So much for social distancing.”
According to Jack Ross, the brawl initially appeared to have ignited over a seat assignment; however, it later turned out to have been prompted by one passenger’s disregard for the mandatory face mask order aboard the American Airlines flight.
In a statement cited by the Charlotte Observer, American Airlines spokesperson Crystal Byrd clarified that the tense confrontation began when one of the customers was asked to deplane after failing to comply with the mask policy upon boarding the aircraft.
“[The passenger] became disruptive, resulting in an altercation with other passengers,” Byrd noted.
The outlet indicated that officials with the Las Vegas Police Department were involved and assisted in the removal of the passenger who failed to comply with the airline’s mask policy. The individual is seen wearing the pink shirt in the recording.
Although it’s unclear if any charges or citations were issued against the individual as a result of the scuffle, the Charlotte Observer did state that the deplaned passenger was placed on an “internal refuse list” pending an investigation.
It’s worth noting that American Airlines has required all passengers to wear face coverings while aboard its aircraft since early May, a policy that has been implemented by various airlines in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.
