SEATTLE — There is more fallout from an Alaska Airlines flight where more than a dozen passengers refused to wear masks.
Alaska Airlines has now banned 14 unruly passengers from future flights after they refused to wear masks.
That flight left Washington, D.C for Seattle on Thursday after supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol.
Other passengers say those people were wearing masks as they got on the plane.
A woman who was onboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1085 says it happened within an hour of taking off from Dulles International Airport. Several passengers, many wearing hats that indicated their support for the President, took off their masks and refused to put them back on.
“I’ve been witness to multiple occasions on several flights where people refuse to go ahead to adhere to the airlines rules,” said Eric Torres of Los Angeles.
He flew on Alaska Friday.
“They say clearly on the site that you have to wear a mask covering,” Torres said. “But you see people come with just a shield and argue with the flight attendants and try to make a scene. So it doesn’t surprise me that much.”
It surprised the passenger on board Alaska Airlines Flight 1085 Thursday night.
She declined to talk on camera. But she says those who took off their masks were in the rear of the aircraft outside her field of vision. She says the pilot made several announcements about their refusal to wear masks. Then 20 minutes before they landed, he appealed to everyone for calm.
Alaska Airlines has made no secret of its mask-wearing policy.
Indeed, the airline says it has banned more than 300 passengers from future flights for violating it.
The airline describes the passengers on Thursday night’s flight as “rowdy, argumentative” and harassing.
Other Alaska passengers say they applaud the airline’s action to ban them.
“It’s not about the fear or anything like that,” said Cynthia Marquez of Pasco. “But it’s about keeping other people healthy. And I think it’s out of respect. We should love each other to do that.”
The National Flight Attendants Union issued a statement, saying the passengers created “unsafe conditions during flight” and should be held “accountable under the law.”