So l watching this AA38 thing I had a thought. If we all returned to the hub when someone onboard doesn't want to wear their masks- if all of us do that, this mask crap would be over tomorrow one way or the other wouldn't it? If all of us stopped playing mask cop. If some of the passengers angry because one guy/gal doesn't wear a mask and we don't hound after them, and we turn the bus around- all of us. They'd either get rid of the mask mandate, or passengers would behave right?

Obviously it would never happen... but if it did this nonsense would be over, one way or the other.

One of the biggest obstacles to getting over the mask thing will be the flight attendants. Guarantee it. I don't mean Delta, I mean everyone.

My most recent incident as it turned out was escalated by a FA, not the pax. Can't wait for this crap to be over. The Federal mask mandate needs to end.

Identical situation. Identical outcome. Identical opinion.

I figured the captain just really didn’t want to go to London and a good excuse popped up.

Every incident I’ve had has been an overzealous FA. I now brief them not to engage anyone. If they ask politely after a second time, do not engage. Call me up and i’ll have a red coat meet us. There is an astronomically higher threat of harm from a fight inflight than someone getting covid bc a mask is below one persons nose.

So lets just not have any more "stupid rules"...seat belt...nah dont need one. Tray table up and seat upright...no dont want to!! Why cant i walk around when we taxi to the runway....Im cramping up in that seat!! I'll drink my own booze if I want...its a free country. Rules on planes??? Who needs em.....

I don’t think anyones saying don’t have rules. But the FA’s job is to inform, not to enforce. Or try to enforce. Nor is it the responsibility of any other passenger. I think what the OP is trying to say is, tell them the rules, remind them of the rules, if they still break the rules, phone ahead to the station, get the appropriate personnel to meet the aircraft, let them deal with the rule breakers when they get off the plane. Quit goading rule breakers to the point of physical altercations.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that the federal government issues mandates, but does not set up an effective system to enforce them.

If every passenger who belligerently disobeys flight attendant instructions gets met on arrival by the FBI and is fined and blacklisted from air travel, then very quickly the flying public would learn to comply. However, we have seen that passengers can get away with all sorts of nonsense on the airplanes which goes unpunished.

Flying for an international carrier, we have a lot more compliance from passengers, simply because they're not sure which country's regulations will apply to their misbehavior. Also having our own cops at the hub helps the optics, because they meet unruly passengers at the jet bridge.

A revamp of enforcement is what's needed to stop disruptive passengers.

I’d venture to guess the escalation is just like in your scenario 80% of the time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like it when people wear masks because of covid. It helps some, especially if they’re wearing N95’s. I always study probabilities and odds for things. If it helps at all I’m for it. If nutty people don’t believe it helps, fine. But they’re required everywhere on the planet except in righty US states where politicians are preying on people’s ignorance.

I’ve kicked off a couple of people for not wearing masks before we pushed back but not airborne. Only diverted once for a disruptive pax and that’s because he was trying to light the airplane on fire. We all have our limits. Lol

To divert for a mask issue is a Captain’s call. I’d tend to continue unless it escalates to more than just not wearing the mask and take care of the issue at the destination. A divert can cost $500,000 on an international flight. I have diverted many other times because we had to. Is a bratty pax just not wearing their mask worth $500K and inconveniencing 100-300 people worth it? Captains call.

We weren’t there so we don’t know exactly what happened.