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London-bound jet turns around over the Atlantic, returns to Miami over maskless passenger

A customer refused to comply with the mask mandate, according to American Airlines

An American Airlines flight was canceled after a passenger became unruly over a mask mandate policy. (WPLG)

MIAMI – An American Airlines flight to London has turned around and returned to Miami after a woman on the plane refused to wear a face mask.

That’s what American Airlines says happened on the Wednesday night American Airlines Flight 38.

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According to WPLG in Miami, the flight was in the air for 1 hour and 48 minutes and over the Atlantic Ocean en route in its 8 hours and 35 minutes, 4,400-mile journey when it turned around.

The airline called Miami police, and officers escorted a woman off the plane at Miami International Airport without incident.

A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Police Department said Thursday that American Airlines staff dealt with the passenger administratively.

“American Airlines flight 38 with service from Miami (MIA) to London (LHR) returned to MIA due to a disruptive customer refusing to comply with the federal mask requirement. The flight landed safely at MIA where local law enforcement met the aircraft. We thank our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

American Airlines