WFTX — An FSW softball team refusing to comply with federal mask requirements was removed from a flight traveling from Houston to Fort Myers on Monday.
Dan Landson, Communications Lead for Southwest Airlines provided the following statement regarding the incident:
"Federal law requires every person age two and over to wear a mask at all times throughout a flight. Our reports indicate that individuals traveling as part of a group refused to wear masks after being reminded multiple times by our crew. As a result, the group was removed from the flight for refusing to comply with the federal mask mandate. Once the group offered assurances that all members would comply with the federal mask policy, Southwest rebooked the entire group on later flights as a gesture of goodwill.
As a note, Southwest communicates the federal face covering mandate to all customers at multiple touchpoints throughout the travel journey including: during booking, in a pre-trip email sent prior to departure, and during a required acknowledgment that is part of the Customer Health Declaration Form which appears during the check-in process on the Southwest app, Southwest.com, Southwest’s mobile website, and airport kiosks.
It is the duty of our crews to uphold federal laws, and we appreciate the ongoing support and spirit of cooperation among Southwest customers and employees as we collectively take care of each other during the COVID-19 pandemic."
