A woman traveling to Las Vegas struck an American Airlines employee after she was denied boarding for not wearing a mask.
The American Airlines employee at Phoenix Sly Harbor Airport reported that 47-year-old Yolanda Yarbrough hit him while she was connecting at the airport to a flight to Las Vegas, according to Fox News.
On her first flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Yarbrough did not follow the mask mandate and therefore was denied boarding on the second flight.
A spokesperson for American Airlines released a statement saying, “After arriving into Phoenix and being informed that they would not be able to take their connecting flight to Las Vegas, the individual became irate and struck an American team member in the terminal.”
Yarbrough did not seriously injure the American Airlines employee, however, she is now on the airline’s internal refuse list.
American’s strict mask policy states that all passengers over the age of 2 must wear a mask and that there are no exemptions for medical conditions. Masks must be worn upon entering the departure airport to the time passengers leave the arriving airport. Masks can only be removed when eating or drinking.
This is not the first time airplane passengers have had issues with the mask mandate and it likely will not be the last.
Earlier this month, a woman was removed from an American Airlines flight for an offensive face mask, and drunk passengers in Europe began to brawl over the wearing of face masks.
Last month, a man held up an American Airlines flight claiming HIPPA rights over not wearing a face mask, and Delta had to turn a flight around after multiple passengers refused to wear a face mask.
