Delta flight returns to gate after two passengers refuse to wear masks

A Delta Air Lines flight returned to the gate last week after two travelers refused to wear masks or face coverings, a spokeswoman for the airline confirmed to The Hill. 

Flight 1227 was set to travel from Detroit to Atlanta on July 23, Delta spokeswoman Emma Kate Protis said, and after the delay, the plane departed to its destination.

The two passengers who refused to wear masks or face coverings were removed from the flight.

Delta states on its website that “customers and employees are required to wear a face mask, or appropriate cloth face covering over their nose and mouth throughout their travel, aligning with best practice guidelines from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention].”

Delta has also blocked seats between customers on flights and reduced the number of passengers allowed on flights to provide for distance amid the ongoing pandemic. 

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said last week that more than 100 people have been added to the airline’s no-fly list because they refused to wear masks on flights. 

“We’ve been steadily and rather aggressively stepping up our enforcement of the mask policy. You cannot board a Delta plane unless you have a mask on. If you board the plane and you insist on not wearing your mask, we will insist that you don’t fly Delta into the future. We already have over 100 people we’ve put on that list,” Bastian told NBC.